Postmedia: Six months after the BP spill, Canada slammed for ‘business as usual’ approach

[tuvor]

OTTAWA — In late August, a drillship contracted by Chevron Canada Ltd. finished exploring for oil more than 2 1/2 kilometres below the ocean surface off the coast of Newfoundland — the deepest offshore well in Canadian history.

Yet under Canadian offshore-drilling rules, it will be two years before Chevron must disclose details about the design of the well and what kind of equipment it had in place to prevent a blowout — not to mention how that equipment actually held up in the uncharted depths of the Orphan Basin, more than 400 kilometres northeast of St. John’s.

Critics say it’s an example of the coziness between the companies venturing ever deeper off Canada’s coasts in their quest for untapped oil and gas, and the regulators responsible for holding them to account.

“This is so reminiscent of the U.S. situation in the gulf. People claimed (to be protecting) public-private secrets, but really, the public was left in the dark,” said New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen.

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http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canada+slammed+business+usual+approach+offshore/3685061/story.html