Moratorium on Gulf of St. Lawrence oil exploration sought

A coalition that includes environmental groups, First Nations communities andfishery representatives from five Canadian provinces is pushing for a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

One oil well blowout could destroy [the gulfs ecosystem].- Sierra Club national director

The St. Lawrence Coalition says too little is known about the possible effects of oil and gas projects on the gulfs fragile ecosystem to proceed with them in its waters.

A new 80-page report produced by the coalition detailsthe current lack of reliable information on the challenges that such development would pose to the more than 4,000 species that call the Gulf of St. Lawrence home, as well asthe local industries like fisheries and tourism that it sustains.

Endangered blue whales, bluefin tuna and belugas are just a few of the vulnerablespecies found in the gulf's waters.

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No oil and gas projects should be given the green light until those gaps in our knowledge our filled, the group said.

Though there are currently no active oil and gas projects in the gulf, the coalition says seismic studies over 60,000 kilometreshave been conducted and 10 exploratory wells have been drilled in the gulf to determine what deposits it may hold.

Oil spill could 'destroy' Gulf ecosystem

Its believed potential reserves in the gulf could yield more than five billion barrels of oil.

And thats enough to make the coalitions members worry.

One oil well blowout could destroy [the gulfs ecosystem], Sierra Club Foundation Canada National Director John Bennett said.

According to the report, the gulf presents a number of unique physical challenges that would greatly complicate an oil spill cleanup in the region. Currents, icecover and cold water would conspire to potentially trap oil rather than disperse it.

Provinces need to see big picture

Five provinces border the Gulf of St. Lawrence Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

As it stands, the coalition said each province looks at the gulf from the perspective of its own jurisdiction rather thanan interdependentwhole.

This perspective needs to change in order to properly understand the true effects of oil and gas development onthe gulf's ecosystem.

At the moment, several provinces have interests in the Gulf of St. Lawrence but no one talks to each other, Jean-Patrick Toussaint, a scientist with the David Suzuki Foundation and a member of the Coalition, told CBC News.

Toussainttook some hope in the Quebec governments recent decision to order a full environmental assessment of the impact of oil and gas exploration in the region.

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The coalition is calling for the establishment of an arm's-length review panel to look intothe future of oil and gas development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and hold public consultations on the issue.

The coalition presented its report to staff members of Quebec Natural Resources Minister Pierre Arcand's office Monday morning.