Arctic Council's Oil Spill Plans "Too Vague" for Environmentalists
Plans by Arctic nations covering oil spill response are considered to be too vague to environmentalists.
Ministers from the eight-nation Arctic Council presented documents to Reuters concerning corporate liability for any mishaps in an icy region opened for oil and gas exploration due to global warming. Since the summer ice has declined in recent years, the area has now become the interest of oil and gas companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell, Lukoil, Statoil, and ConocoPhillips.
According to a statement from Greenpeace, the document “completely fails to outline any essential response equipment, methods for capping wells, or cleaning up oiled habitats and wildlife”. In their mind, the leaked document hardly inspires confidence in the ability of the Arctic Council to protect this fragile region when the worst happens.
The Arctic Council hopes all parties will cooperate in order to proceed in the region.