U.K. Lawmakers Call for Arctic Drilling Moratorium

Lawmakers also cited risks to whales posed by the sound of drilling. Whales and other sea creatures can be injured and even killed by loud undersea sounds, as well as becoming disoriented when their own navigational abilities are impaired.

“The retreating ice cap is enabling greater exploitation of the Arctic’s natural resources—fossil fuels, minerals, and fisheries, and opening up new major global shipping routes,” the lawmakers said. “Such development could result in significant environmental damage in a region already feeling the effects of climate change more than the rest of the planet.”

Lawmakers were also skeptical of oil companies’ position on the costs of possible spill cleanups. Peter Velez, a global emergency response manager for Shell, and Cairn Exploration Director Richard Heaton testified before the committee. According to the committee’s report, the former said Shell had no estimate for the cost of a worst-case Arctic oil spill because “we are going to do whatever it takes to clean it up,” and the latter espoused a similar position. “We are surprised that neither has put a financial estimate on the cost to their business of dealing with a ‘worst case’ oil spill,” the lawmakers wrote. “There does need to be public transparency to provide assurance that cost will not be a bar on dealing with the consequences of any spills.” The committee also cited evidence provided to another Parliamentary committee on the Gulf oil spill as evidence that the companies are not prepared to deal with a subsea well blowout.

Lawmakers called for a moratorium on Arctic drilling until a pan-Arctic oil spill response standard has been mounted, as well as regulations for a “preferably unlimited” financial liability standard for oil and gas operations. They also said that Arctic states should impose “the highest available environmental standards” for drilling, and said that additional research is needed on methods to respond to a spill under Arctic conditions.

Walley said in the report, “The oil companies should come clean and admit that dealing with an oil spill in the icy extremes of the Arctic would be exceptionally difficult.”