National Energy Board to defend Nunavut seismic program in court – The Globe and Mail
Apr. 19 2015
The Inuit community of Clyde River is challenging the National Energy Board in federal court Monday, saying its approval of seismic testing for oil and gas potential in the waters of the eastern Arctic could threaten their traditional way of life.
The NEB approved last June a plan by Norwegian company, Petroleum Geo-Services Inc. (PGS), to undertake the seismic work in the Baffin Bay and Davis Strait off Nunavut over the course of the next five years. Oil companies currently have no operations in the area, but Royal Dutch Shell PLC does have leases northwest of the site, near the mouth of Lancaster Sound.
While Shell says it has no current plans to drill in the eastern Arctic, it is aiming to begin operations this summer in the Beaufort Sea offshore Alaska, while several companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and BP PLC, have leases in Canada’s deep waters off the Northwest Territories.
