Thank you, and good afternoon.
As per the chair, my name is Scott Tessier. I am the chief executive officer of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, also known as the C-NLOPB. I have served in this role since 2013.
Thank you for inviting me and for accommodating my virtual participation. I would have preferred to have been with you in person, but the local weather has complicated travel plans. On that note, I wish my colleagues and all the people of Nova Scotia and others affected by this weekend's storm a safe recovery.
Newfoundland and Labrador is located in the traditional territories of diverse indigenous groups, and I acknowledge with respect the histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi'kmaq, Innu and Inuit.
Ten days from now will be the anniversary of the Ocean Ranger disaster. Forty-two years ago, the Ocean Ranger capsized during a severe winter storm, resulting in 84 lives lost. This terrible tragedy and two helicopter crashes in later years are deeply embedded in the culture of the C-NLOPB. The safety of offshore workers is paramount in all that we do. Those lost, their families and their loved ones are forever in our hearts and in our thoughts.
I was able to be in Ottawa when Bill C-49 was introduced last year. I am pleased to share with you our preparations for the regulation of offshore renewable energy projects. Our staff and our board are very excited about the proposed expansion of our mandate.
We are working closely with our international counterparts in several venues, including the International Regulators' Forum, the International Offshore Petroleum Environmental Regulators, the International Upstream Forum, the North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum and the Global Offshore Wind Regulators Forum.
Offshore regulators in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries are undergoing the same expansion of their mandates as is proposed for ours under Bill C‑49, from petroleum to energy. We are fortunate to have strong working relationships with our international counterparts, so we are able to share lessons learned and best practices in renewable energy with one another as we have done for many years in the regulation of oil and gas.
We are also working closely with the CNSOPB and other Canadian regulators, and learning from the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government's recent experience with onshore wind project selection. We are engaging with other Canadian entities such as Canada's Ocean Supercluster, Energy NL, Marine Renewables Canada and fishery stakeholders.
We are providing policy and regulatory advice to the federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on land tenure and other considerations. We have been consulted throughout the development of the Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, and we continue to be engaged in the details of the regulatory framework as it is developed.
We are supporting the work of the committee and leading the regional assessment of offshore wind development for Newfoundland and Labrador, and we are available to them as a technical resource whenever and wherever requested. We are building renewable energy into our internal work planning and our training plans, and we are prepared to rebrand as the “Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator”.
I was fortunate to participate in a fact-finding mission to Germany focused on offshore wind energy last summer. The challenges of energy security and the energy transition and the opportunities of renewable energy were on clear display, along with the importance of openness, collaboration and effective marine spatial planning.
For close to 40 years, the C-NLOPB has provided world class regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area, with a mandate that includes safety, environmental protection, resource management and industrial benefits. We stand ready for offshore renewable energy projects. Our experience and technical excellence and our collaborative and transparent approach are transferrable to the offshore renewable energy sector.
We support Bill C‑49, which is instrumental to an orderly energy transition through joint management and to the futures of Newfoundland and Labrador and the rest of Canada.
Thank you again. I look forward to your questions.