Offshore oil and gas law
OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LAW IN BRITISH COLUMBIAAs with most natural resources disputes, the various stakeholders in the dispute over whether to drill for oil and gas in the British Columbia offshore are as diverse as they are entrenched. With over one hundred billion dollars in buried treasure at stake, it is unsurprising that the Federal Government and the Province are sparring over who has jurisdiction and ownership of the B.C. offshore. In addition, environmental groups, industry advocates, and First Nations are all seeking to steer the policy of both levels of government. Interestingly, although the development of the B.C. offshore has been marked by decades of impasse and quagmire, a number of events have recently unfolded that seem to have injected a new energy into the dispute. Specifically, the inclusion of "Aboriginal Rights" in section 35 of Canada's constitution has has resulted in significant uncertainty over land title in British Columbia, uncertainty which the Province is moving to resolve by settling Aboriginal land claims, often by offering a stake in development. As well, despite having secured jurisdiction over most of Canada's offshore resources, the Federal Government has softened its stan
In 1959, British Columbia asserted a further crown reserve, this time over "petroleum and natural gas underlying the offshore area between the British Columbia mainland and a line approximately three miles off the west coast of the Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands. Priddle is himself an industry man, and has earned a spot in "The Petroleum Hall of Fame". Specifically, the oil industry would like to see the implementation of a regulatory framework that is "performance-based", rather than "prescriptive". This section will explore all of the bi-partite conflicts that exist between the various parties in the dispute, and will speculate on the possible path of negotiations between the parties. Since both parties have shown signs of willingness for flexibility and accommodation on the matter, it will not be surprising if the two sides are able to reach an agreement. Unless they believe in the legitimacy of the process and can be co-opted into negotiations, they will likely remain resistant to progress on the issue, and could derail negotiations. Indeed, at the same time that CAPP claims to deal "safely" with environmental concerns, they go on to concede that at least one essential component of offshore exploration-seismic surveying-which results in "impacts on fisheries within areas immediately adjacent to the seismic program" can be quite harmful. The Canadian government agreed to share power and revenues in this key field, even though the Supreme Court explicitly reconfirmed . This softening of the Ottawa's position has occurred slowly over time, following decades of asserting central control, which prompted regional backlash. Much of the conflict can be explained by the interweaving of resource policy and Canadian federalism. Secondly, disclosure is important because it can inject new information into disputes that would otherwise be locked in stalemate. Each of the following stakeholders will be surveyed in turn: the Provincial government, the Federal government, industry, environmentalists, and Aboriginal groups. Thus, one of the primary interests of the environmental community will be maintaining the appearance of strident opposition to offshore oil exploration at all costs, even if a pragmatic acceptance of offshore exploration would yield more tangible results.
Common topics in this essay:
British Columbia,
Federal Provincial,
Costal Nations,
Indeed CAPP,
British Columbia's,
Private Sector,
Crude Solution,
Oceans Society,
John Buchanan,
World War,
offshore exploration,
federal government,
offshore oil,
british columbia,
oil gas,
offshore oil gas,
natural resources,
costal nations,
provincial government,
west coast,
offshore drilling,
federal provincial governments,
oil gas exploration,
offshore exploration development,
newfoundland nova scotia,
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Acceptance Essays
