Federal minister defends BP plans to drill in N.S.

Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna is defending BP Canada’s plans to drill a deepwater exploration well roughly 330 kilometres off the coast of Halifax.

This comes one day after the oil and gas company was granted approval by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB).

McKenna touched on the issue briefly on Sunday during a press conference in Nova Scotia for the federal government’s new public consultation platform on plastics and waste.

“The BP project went through an environmental assessment and has strict conditions,” she said. “We’re going to be monitoring it closely.”

The Aspy D-11 exploration well is the first in BP Canada’s Scotian Basin Exploration Project, which could see up to seven exploration wells drilled off the southeast coast of Nova Scotia over a three-year period.

McKenna said the government “cares greatly” about the oceans and pointed to Canada’s 1.5 billion dollar oceans protection plan, launched in November 2016, as an example.

In February, McKenna released a decision statement saying she determined the exploration project wasn’t likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

The offshore petroleum board’s decision to allow BP Canada to proceed has received backlash from some environmental groups.

CP PHOTO Environment Minister Catherine McKenna addresses a session on protecting the environment and growing the economy at the federal Liberal national convention in Halifax Friday.