A drilling rig operated by Shell Exploration and Production in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in a 2007 photo. Concerns about offshore drilling in the Beaufort Sea prompted the Canadian government on Friday to put $21.8 million toward research into drilling safety and requirements. (Shell Exploration & Production/Associated Press)

The federal government will spend nearly $22 million for research in the Beaufort Sea that could help in the debate over offshore oil and gas drilling there.

Yukon Conservative Senator Daniel Lang announced a total of $21.8 million over five years for research under the Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment (BREA), which will sponsor environmental and socio-economic research "that will gather new information vital to the future management of the Beaufort Sea," according to a release.

Speaking Friday in Inuvik, N.W.T., Lang said the research will help regulators like the National Energy Board make decisions with regard to oil and gas exploration and development in the ocean.

The debate over offshore drilling activity in the Beaufort Sea has heated up in recent months, as the large-scale oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico raised concerns about whether such work can be done safely and in an environmentally sensitive way in Canada's Arctic waters.

In the wake of the Gulf spill, the National Energy Board has launched a broad review of Arctic drilling safety regulations.

"It will address regional concerns and provide information to assist in the planning of oil and gas activities in the region," Lang stated in the release.

Lang added that it will allow northerners, especially the Inuvialuit people who live near the Beaufort Sea, to "advance research priorities" along with industry and regulators.

Inuvialuit Regional Corp. chair Nellie Cournoyea said allowing offshore drilling in the Beaufort Sea must come with a "comprehensive understanding" of the potential impacts on the Arctic ecosystem.