Alaska Beat

Arctic oil spill research canceled

According to CBC News, Canada's federal government had to cancel its plans to conduct a controlled oil spill in Arctic waters this August. The lead researcher, Kenneth Lee, has joined experts working on the uncontrolled oil spill currently afflicting the Gulf of Mexico, and won't be able to conduct the project, titled "Improvement of Marine Oil Spill Response Methods for Use in the Arctic." The plan involved dumping 1,200 liters of oil in Barrow Strait, Wellington Channel and Lancaster Sound to test spill dispersion techniques and substances. Lee will have to reapply for a permit to conduct the test another time, but the story contained no word on his intentions. An executive policy director for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association says he's glad the tests have been canceled. He told CBC, "Our priority is to establish a national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound before any other considerations." Read more, here.

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