Cablegate: Proposed Space Launch Alarms Newfoundland Government

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HALIFAX 000092

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MOPS TSPA CA
SUBJECT: PROPOSED SPACE LAUNCH ALARMS NEWFOUNDLAND GOVERNMENT

1. CG was called afternoon of April 8 by Robert Thompson, the
senior civil servant of the Newfoundland-Labrador government,
who expressed the province's concerns about a proposed Titan IV
launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Thompson noted
that the hazard area of the proposed launch included the
Hibernia and Terra Nova oil production platforms, as well as a
drilling rig operating in the area. For safety reasons the
operators of the platforms would halt oil production and
evacuate all 250 personnel until after the launch. The Hibernia
platform operators say that they would need to start shutdown
and evacuation 96 hours in advance of the proposed launch.
Evacuation would minimize the risk to life, but would entail a
major loss of revenue to the platform operators and the
province. In the worst case, debris landing on an evacuated
production platform could cause a major environmental and
economic problem.

2. Thompson's primary concern was that the USG put in place
some sort of risk reduction measures so that the hazard area
would not include major offshore oil production facilities. He
was also concerned about information flow, noting that Premier
Williams was receiving conflicting reports: the province was
first told that the launch had been postponed indefinitely, then
heard that it was re-scheduled for April 13. They are seeking
clarity about USG plans for the launch.

3. COMMENT: Offshore energy production is a major source of
economic activity in Newfoundland-Labrador. Shutting down oil
production for several days would have a significant financial
impact. It would also fairly directly impact U.S. energy
security since most of the oil from Hibernia is ultimately
exported to the U.S. In addition, U.S. firms are involved in
the operation of the production and drilling operations and
would be hurt financially as well. From a public relations
standpoint, having to close the platforms would be a serious
problem. END COMMENT.

HILL

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