WHEREAS to date there has been no commercial extraction of coalbed methane gas in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS coalbed methane extraction in other North American jurisdictions has caused significant harm to water, wildlife and rural economies; AND WHEREAS the Skeena, Nass and Stikine rivers support three of North Americas richest wild salmon fisheries, which in turn contribute to Northwest British Columbias vibrant cultures and economy; AND WHEREAS the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine rivers is home to robust populations of large mammals including stone sheep, grizzly bears, and Osborne caribou, which have been shown to be sensitive to landscape fragmentation caused by linear developments such as roads and pipelines; AND WHEREAS Shell Canada Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, is planning to drill exploratory coalbed methane wells at the headwaters of the Skeena and Stikine rivers, for the purpose of determining the extent and feasibility of the resource: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the British Columbia government 1 Immediately suspend coalbed methane exploration in the Klappan-Groundhog tenure area; 2 Engage in comprehensive consultations with all residents of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine watersheds and estuaries; and 3 Not proceed with coalbed methane development in the Klappan-Groundhog area until there is compelling evidence of environmental safety, such that the majority of residents in the region are satisfied such development does not jeopardize their values and existing economic activities.
Ministry of Energy, Mines Petroleum Resources The Energy Plan encourages coalbed gas CBG development with the intent of demonstrating that B.C. is leading socially and environmentally-responsible CBG exploration and development. Proponents wanting to develop CBG will not be allowed to surface discharge any produced water. Any re-injected produced water must be injected well below domestic water aquifers. Shell Canada Ltd. Shell has agreed to suspend all oil and gas exploration activity in the Klappan. Government has facilitated this by specifying in an amendment to Shells tenure agreement that there be no activity for two years. The Province of British Columbia commits through the amended tenure agreement to ensuring that First Nations have sufficient information about the development process in order to assess any impacts on their traditional territory. The tenure amendment additionally commits government to ensuring that sufficient baseline regional water quality data is available prior to development proceeding. Coalbed gas development in the province has now reached commercial production. Projects reaching commercial production demonstrate that coalbed gas development can proceed in a socially and environmentally responsible manner to the benefit of communities and the people of British Columbia.