Politicians, activists raise alarm over Greenland’s ambitious drilling program

[Newsjock]

Source: The Globe and Mail

Next month, when the great pan of ice covering Davis Strait flushes south toward Labrador, two leased drilling vessels will steam across the slushy waters and begin boring into the region’s sea floor for the first time in a decade.

What the Cairn Energy ships will find is a matter of intense speculation. Some geologists believe Davis Strait, the frosty waters between Greenland and Baffin Island, is one of the richest untapped frontiers in the hydrocarbon world.

But one thing is undeniable: A spill in the region – even a minor one – would be catastrophic. Dozens of Canadian towns along iceberg alley in Nunavut and Labrador would be coated, their paltry defences overwhelmed.

... In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, some Canadian politicians and environmentalists are warning that Greenland’s ambitious Arctic drilling program is moving too quickly and too haphazardly to be safe.

... In Greenland, the stakes are high. For years, the island – an autonomous province under Danish sovereignty – has asserted its independence on the strength of its oil reserves. A 2008 study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 50 billion barrels – more than OPEC heavyweights Nigeria or Libya – lies offshore of Greenland.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/politicians-activists-raise-alarm-over-greenlands-ambitious-drilling-program/article1573590/