It currently takes up to three years to get approval for a 30 to 60 day oil exploration well in the province’s offshore – and the provincial government wants to see that changed before Bill C-69 is passed.

Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady recently wrote a letter to federal Environment Minister, Catherine McKenna detailing specific amendments they want to see to Bill C-69.

Coady says environmental assessment and protection are important to everyone, and it is not about taking that away. She says it is more about ensuring joint management, as guaranteed under the Atlantic Accord, to make sure there is a streamlined process to move forward on developing the offshore.

She cites Norway as an example where the process is more streamlined and takes about 70 days, compared to over 900 in NL.

Coady says through conversation with the federal government on proposed amendments, there have been some improvements. They have agreed to make sure exploration wells can be reviewed under the regional environmental assessment process currently under the C-NLOPB.

Coady asserts the C-NLOPB has the expertise.

She says they have 30 years of experience and the C-NLOPB has a good track record in the offshore in terms of environment and they want to continue that, while respecting the Atlantic Accord.

Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie says he doesn’t see why the C-NLOPB can’t do the “full meal deal” like they did prior to 2012.

He says there are more sensitives and needs around environmental regulation, but he wants to know why they can’t have the capacity to do that as the C-NLOPB have a very specialized knowledge of a unique area, so let them do the job.