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Professor Gail Fraser raises questions about Canadian oil spill response plans for Newfoundland-based drilling projects

Gail Fraser, a professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, spoke about concerns over an oil spill response plan for Canada’s deepest offshore well run by Chevron, on CBC TV’s “The National” and other news broadcasts across the country July 21. Her interview with the National is available on CBC.ca. It runs for approximately 2:30 minutes.

Fraser was also interviewed for a news story on CBC.ca about Chevron's management plan:

Last month, officials from Chevron Canada told a Senate committee that it had performed 14,000 trajectory simulations and none of those tests showed oil reaching any coastline. However, where the oil would go is a mystery.

On Wednesday, Gail Fraser, an environmental scientist at York University, told CBC News that she was disappointed, but not surprised, that the details were withheld.

She said under the Atlantic Accord, oil companies were given the legal right to choose which information can be made public or kept private.

"So, even though they might have to tell the petroleum board, the CNLOPB, what they need to disclose, the [board] cannot disclose that data to the public unless they have written permission from the operators," Fraser said.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of media relations and YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin.