Our Arctic Neighbors: Norway opens new Arctic areas for drilling

A new management plan for the Norwegian Sea bans drilling in several coastal areas but also opens some new Arctic areas for drilling, including the waters around Jan Mayen Island. The Norwegian government’s announcement of the plan raised the hackles of environmental groups such as the Bellona Foundation that oppose offshore drilling in the Arctic.

“The management plan is a starting point for robust, good and balanced management of the Norwegian Sea,” Environment Minister Erik Solheim said at a press conference May 8. “I expect that the measures in the plan will help clarify and reduce controversies between environmental considerations and industrial interests.”

“The Norwegian Sea will be the cornerstone of the Norwegian petroleum industry in the years to come,” Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Riis-Johansen said. “We have chosen to wait in areas where we need more knowledge. Through clear and predictable terms for the activities in other areas, and by further developing activity in the Norwegian Sea, we are at the same time preparing for good business development.”

One of the management plan’s stated goals is to create a basis for better coexistence between the fishing and petroleum industries. It will also continue the ecosystem-based administration of fish stocks and efforts to prevent illegal fishing.

“Sustainable rich fish stocks are dependent on a clean and healthy sea,” said Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen. “In this respect the management plan signals a message of great importance both for marine resources and fisheries.”

—Sarah Hurst