It surfaced on Thursday that Suncor Energy spilled 26,400 litres of synthetic-based drilling mud on Monday while drilling an exploration well on the Grand Banks. The offshore regulator said the source of the spill may have been an open valve on the mud storage pit aboard the Henry Goodrich rig, which is drilling a well northeast of the Hibernia oilfield. A spokesman for the C-NLOPB said the drilling mud sank to the seabed. They are currently investigating the spill and assessing the environmental impact with methods including a remotely-operated underwater vehicle that collects soil and water samples from the spill area. Media reports this morning are revealing that provincial NDP Leader Lorraine Michael is questioning why people weren’t told earlier about such a serious spill.
