Carney’s government taking another look at Arctic oil and gas drilling ban

Oil and gas exploration has been off limits in these arctic waters for a decade. Now the Prime Minister says that policy is under review. It is absolutely not in any way shape or form a decision about lifting the moratorium. It is a respectful engagement with that self-government. The moratorium was introduced in 2016 by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama. It was intended to protect the fragile marine ecosystem in the Beaufort Sea from a catastrophic oil spill. But territorial leaders say the ban has kept them from making their own decisions about the region's natural resources. By lifting the moratorium isn't saying that this is an automatic go for development. What it is giving us the opportunity is to be. We're the masters of destiny in that respect. November's federal budget first hinted that Ottawa was considering allowing oil and gas development in the Arctic. Every step that we take on natural resources in the north has to be in consultation with Indigenous peoples in the north and that is what we're committed to do. Environmental groups say that consultation comes with concern. Offshore drilling in the deep Arctic presents challenges unlike anywhere else in the world. The kind of conditions there in Arctic oceans will make it difficult not only to do the exploration, but also to respond to any kind of accident, incident or spill. Energy industry experts say those risks are weighed against the potential economic benefits. Even before the ban, companies like Chevron had expressed interest, but put plans on hold over economic uncertainty. The resource does exist there, and when it becomes economic, I think, you know, the people in that region want to be able to benefit from it. It's not clear when a decision on the future of offshore drilling in the Arctic will happen with the current moratorium set to expire in 2028. Ina Sidhu, CBC News, Calgary.