A Framework for Effective Environmental Regulation in Newfoundland and Labrador's Offshore Oil and Gas Sector: Applying Lessons from the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry

The tragic crash of the Sikorsky S‐92A helicopter on March 12, 2009, focused public attention on the need for improved regulation of workers’ safety in Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore while also raising questions about the adequacy of the regulatory regime surrounding environmental impacts. Safety risks are great in the offshore and so are environmental risks—the BP Deepwater Horizon drill rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, which took nearly five months to seal and resulted in worker deaths and the contamination of thousands of hectares of ocean, is yet another stark reminder of this fact. On the basis that worker safety and environmental protection are not independent, we recommend the establishment of an independent Environmental Authority, similar to the proposal of an independent Safety Authority. The Environmental Authority would have three branches: 1) Offshore Waste Treatment Guidelines Compliance, 2) Emergency Response, and 3) Environmental Effects Monitoring Programs Approval and Oversight.