Canada invites public input on Exxon, Statoil offshore drilling plans

Canadian authorities have invited public comments for the two offshore exploration projects to be carried out by Statoil and Exxon in the Atlantic Ocean.

Statoil is proposing to drill within offshore exploration licenses located in the Flemish Pass Basin, approximately 480 kilometers east of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The proposed Flemish Pass Exploration Drilling Project would take place over a 10-year period, starting in 2018 and would allow Statoil to determine the presence, nature and quantities of the potential hydrocarbon resource in exploration licenses 1139, 1140, 1141, and 1142.

ExxonMobil is looking to drill at offshore exploration licenses located in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin and the Flemish Pass Basin, approximately 250 kilometers east of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The proposed Eastern Newfoundland Offshore Exploration Drilling Project would take place over a 12-year period, starting in 2018 and would allow ExxonMobil to determine the presence, nature, and quantities of the potential hydrocarbon resource in exploration licenses 1135 and 1137.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting federal environmental assessments for the proposed drilling plans and has thus invited the public and Indigenous groups to comment on the potential environmental effects and the proposed measures to prevent or mitigate those effects as described in the summary of the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for the two projects. This is the third of four opportunities for the public to comment on these projects.

All comments received will be considered public. Written comments in either official language must be submitted by February 12, 2018, to Flemish Pass and Eastern Newfoundland Offshore Exploration Drilling Projects Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.