Petroleum Development Moratoria on Georges Bank: Environmental Decision Making Where Values Predominate
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- 作者：D. G. Shaw ; M. S. Connor ; and J. R. Schubel
- 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
- 出版年：2000
- 出版时间：November 15, 2000
- 年：2000
- 卷：34
- 期：22
- 页码：4677 - 4683
- 全文大小：182K
- 年卷期：v.34,no.22(November 15, 2000)
- ISSN：1520-5851
文摘
The U.S. and Canada have each recently extendedmoratoria on petroleum activities on Georges Bank, anoffshore area between Cape Cod and Nova Scotia whichis ecologically rich and, historically, has supportedvaluable fisheries. In both the U.S. and Canada the questionof moratorium extension has been viewed in isolationwith little reference to the larger goal of optimum overallmanagement of Georges Bank. The U.S. moratorium wasextended by executive order without any formal processof public comment or scientific review. In Canada a GeorgesBank Review Panel was established by statute to conducta public review of environmental and socio-economicimpacts of petroleum exploration on the bank. The panelexamined technical information concerning Georges Bankand offshore petroleum operations and gathered publiccomments concerning extension of the moratorium. Thispaper examines the work of the review panel and concludesthat (1) the Canadian decision-making process for thequestion of moratorium extension was much more openthan the U.S. process; (2) the Canadian approach tomoratorium extension as a yes-or-no question tended toincrease the importance of socio-economic and cultural valuesand preferences and to decrease the importance ofdetailed and quantitative analysis of technical issues; (3)the alternative approach of determining whether conditionsexist under which petroleum development on GeorgesBank would be acceptable would have tended to encouragemore detailed exploration of technical issues; and (4) thefailure to set the question of moratorium extension in thebroader context of optimum environmental managementof Georges Bank is a serious shortcoming of both U.S. andCanadian policy.