WWF Says Halt Canadian Oil Sale

Conservation group, WWF, is urging Canada to postpone the sale of key oil and gas rights in the Arctic Beaufort Sea, worried the drilling areas overlap with key habitats for polar bears and whales.

“This sale is premature due to the absence of a completed Beaufort Sea management plan that would protect sensitive habitats, which polar bears, beluga and bowhead whales need for their survival,” Peter Ewins, director of species conservation at WWF-Canada, said in a statement. In addition, there is no proven technique for recovering oil spills in such dangerous iced waters.”

As such, the proposed June 2 sale must be delayed until a proper management plan for the Arctic region is in place, the group said.

Whilst the Canadians now fight over the Beaufort, the Americans have already given new leases for oil and gas exploration for their side of the sea. And the Americans have no more idea than the Canadians about how to clean up an oil spill in the Arctic..