BP presses for Arctic oil drilling, urges Canadian legislators to adopt less stringent regulations

Canadian legislators grill BP over Arctic drilling
Thu May 13, 2010 3:17pm EDT

By David Ljunggren


OTTAWA, May 13 (Reuters) - Exasperated Canadian legislators grilled the head of BP Plc (BP.L) Canadian unit on Thursday, concerned about the risks of the company's plans to drill in Arctic waters after the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

But Anne Drinkwater, president of BP Canada, offered few answers at a hearing at Parliament's Standing Committee on Natural Resources on the safety of drilling in the Far North.

Drinkwater, who has also run BP operations in Indonesia, Angola and Norway, declined to answer technical questions and said she had not compared Canadian and U.S. drilling regulations, straining the credulity of some on the committee.

"You'd think coming to a hearing like this that British Petroleum would have as many answers as possible to assure the Canadian public. We got nothing today from them," said Nathan Cullen of the left-leaning New Democrats.

"I was very disappointed. I think British Petroleum is going to have to do a lot better job if they want to drill in Canadian waters," Cullen told reporters afterward.

Larry Bagnell of the Liberals, after asking Drinkwater to compare regulations in Canada and the United States, said: "I thought she didn't have answers to a lot of questions ... I was asking for a very simple answer." ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1326556220100513?type=marketsNews

that Shell can begin exploratory drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas this summer. I'm sure this will be appealed up to the Supremes, but we all know how THEY will rule.

http://www.adn.com/2010/05/13/1276651/court-oks-approval-of-drilling.html

Now, some commentators are wondering about existing oil wells and other planned oil wells.

This may go nowhere, but Canadians are sure looking at the Gulf situation and wondering if it could happen here.

all politicians and leaders in large corporations like this should be screened for psychopathology. all of 'em.

"Without Conscience"
Robert Hare's Web Site devoted to the study of Psychopathy
http://www.hare.org/

spills in the north it is there forever.

:grr: