Arctic Gas: A Solution or a Problem? June 25, 2008

Rising energy costs, the decline in southern Canadian gas exports, and the need for secure energy supplies have focused attention on the important role that large gas reserves in the polar regions might play in North America’s energy supply mix.

Natural gas from Alaska and Canada’s Northwest Territories can play an increasingly important role in the continental energy market as a secure source of domestic energy and potentially replace coal in the generation of electricity in many parts of North America, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing gas supply could also reduce market prices.

However, efforts to limit energy exploration in the Arctic and the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species by the U.S. Department of the Interior raise environmental questions about developing natural gas from the Arctic. How would exploration for Arctic gas affect the extraordinarily fragile Arctic ecosystem? Can residents of the North retain the ability to develop their resources as they see fit as well as retain their traditional way of life? Can natural gas replace coal in electricity generation in the United States and southern Canada and therefore limit greenhouse gas emissions even further?

Please join the Global Energy Initiative and the Canada Institute for a candid discussion with The Hon. Robert McLeod, Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment, Government of the Northwest Territories. McLeod, who is responsible for energy issues in Canada’s northern territory, will present his government’s argument for increasing the development of northern gas in a manner that aims to balance environmental concerns and economic opportunity.

RSVP: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1420&fuseaction=topics.event_rsvp&event_id=446738

Official Website: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1420&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=446738