Équiterre, the Sierra Club and indigenous communities are challenging the approval of the Bay du Nord oil project before the Federal Court on Wednesday. The organizations argue that the authorization given last year by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault fails to take into account the risks to the protection of marine life and ignores the bulk of the greenhouse gas emissions that will result. of operation.
After the holding of the UN conferences on climate and biodiversity, respectively COP27 and COP15, the director general of Équiterre, Colleen Thorpe, believes that the planned oil exploitation off the coasts of Newfoundland and -Labrador goes against Canada’s commitments.
“All the promises and commitments made in the COP, whether on the climate or on biodiversity, must materialize in concrete actions such as the reduction in the production of hydrocarbons and the protection of life. Bay du Nord goes against these two objectives: the project undermines our GHG emission reduction targets and risks causing irreparable harm to marine life and migratory birds. »
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, who gave the green light to the Norwegian oil company Equinor’s project in April 2022, is directly targeted by this legal action. On Thursday, federal lawyers must also respond within the framework of the hearings being held in Ottawa.
“Climate crisis”
“Bay du Nord will lock the province and Canada into increased dependence on fossil fuels at a time when science demands that we take urgent action against the growing climate crisis,” argues Ian Miron, lawyer for Ecojustice, which represents the groups. ecologists.
Ecojustice stressed Wednesday morning that the “climate crisis” requires reducing fossil fuel production, not approving new projects for decades to come.
Chief George Ginnish of Natoaganeg, who represents a group of Aboriginal nations in New Brunswick, believes that the federal government has not listened to their concerns. “He limited a consultation process to meet his needs and those of the developer, but he did not address how this project could negatively impact our rights. The federal government talks about having a full consultation process, but its actions on this file tell a different story. »
Almost a billion barrels
According to information published in The duty On Monday, the project’s oil potential could reach 979 million barrels. This potential was estimated at 300 million barrels at the time of approval by Minister Guilbeault, following a review by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (AEIC).
Its final report concluded that “taking into account the implementation of mitigation measures”, the Bay du Nord project “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects”. The assessment nevertheless highlighted several environmental issues. The Equinor project is located in an “ecologically and biologically significant area of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity”, but also in “vulnerable marine ecosystems”.
Equinor wants to drill up to 60 production wells over a 30-year period, while continuing exploratory drilling, in an area located 470 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland and more than 1,000 meters deep.
This project could be followed by other operating sites over the next few years. Less than a month after the end of COP15, the federal government and that of Newfoundland and Labrador have in fact granted 12,227 km2 new exploration licenses in waters off the east coast of Canada.
The granting of new licenses off the coast of Newfoundland is part of the province’s desire to double its offshore oil production after 2030. It would then reach 650,000 barrels per day. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-TNLOHE) also plans to launch four other calls for tenders by 2029, with the objective of drilling 100 wells.