EU says oil drilling can go ahead in Arctic

Baltimore News.Net
Friday 19th September, 2008

The European Union has declared it does not oppose drilling for oil and gas at the North Pole.

But officials have said techniques will have to be developed to make drilling safe for the local environment, which has been named by conservation groups as being highly fragile.

Nature organisations, like the World Wide Fund for Nature, prefer alternative energy sources to be used.

The Artic is rich in valuable raw materials and Russia, Norway, Denmark, Canada and the United States want to secure their share of the region.

In May next year, they will be able to submit an ownership claim to the United Nations.

The Norwegian company Statoil is already searching for oil at the North Pole.

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