Premier Gordon Campbell announced on February 14 that B.C. would not allow surface water discharge from coalbed methane operations in the province. Reaction in the press was muted. The Flathead Coalition was very pleased.
British Columbia Turnaround On Coalbed Methane Waste Water Commended By Transboundary Conservation Alliance
Premier Gordon Campbell’s Ban on Surface Discharge Effectively
Dooms Large-Scale Methane Extraction in Rocky Mountains
FERNIE, British Columbia, February 23, 2007 -- The Canada-U.S. Flathead Coalition today commended British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell for his decision to ban the discharge of coalbed methane waste water into the environment.
“This welcome shift in government policy reflects the fact that British Columbians value their natural landscapes and water courses above short-term economic profit from the dirty extraction of gas and coal,” said Ted Ralfe of chairman of Fernie’s Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane and a director of the transboundary Flathead Coalition.
Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane and the Flathead Coalition have been working to bar the extraction of methane from B.C.’s Rocky Mountain coal seams since 2004. It was then that the government first promoted its now-reversed policy of permitting the surface discharge of contaminated waste water produced in the extraction of methane gas from coal deposits. Under Campbell’s new policy, any CBM operation must re-inject such wastewater into deep and leak-proof geological formations.
“We believe that the geological contortions underlying the Rocky Mountains make re-injection virtually impossible,” said Ralfe. “This means the effective end of prospects for coalbed methane extraction in the Rockies.”
John Poirier of Fernie, who represents Wapiti River Fly Fishers on the Flathead Coalition board of directors, said Campbell’s announcement is good news for native fish and anglers in the Elk, Wigwam and Flathead River valleys. “These waters are important range for our native trout in B.C. and Montana. Premier Campbell deserves praise for refusing to allow our rivers to be toxic dumping grounds for coalbed waste water.”
Flathead Coalition President Dave Hadden of Bigfork, Montana, said the cross-border citizen alliance, founded in 1975, has long believed that coal mining and coalbed methane drilling in the Flathead Valley are inappropriate. “Some places are too special for mining or drilling, and this is one of them. Our clean water and healthy fish and wildlife are environmental and economic assets more valuable than fossil fuels.”
Campbell also announced that any new coal-fired electricity plants in the province must capture and sequester 100 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. This, too, effectively kills current plans for two coal-fueled power plants in B.C., as well as the simmering ambitions of Elk Valley Coal to burn its lower-grade coal to generate electricity at its mine sites. There is no existing technology for the complete capture of carbon dioxide from coal fire emissions.
About The Flathead Coalition
The Flathead Coalition is a transboundary alliance of community, tribal, business and conservation interests, founded in 1975, with the mission of protecting the natural watersheds shared by British Columbia and Montana. The Coalition was re-energized in 2004 in response to proposals for open-pit coal mining and coalbed methane extraction in the Canadian headwaters area of the Flathead River.
For more information:
Ted Ralfe, Spokesman, Fernie Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane
250.423. 6844, tedlaw@shaw.ca
Dave Hadden, President, Flathead Coalition
406. 837-0783, paddler@centurytel.net
New methane rule moot for time being
A day after announcing new tighter environmental controls on coal-fired generating plants, the provincial government has added more teeth to its coalbed methane regulations.
However, a spokesman for Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd., says it's too early to determine how this might impact the company's test wells in the Princeton area.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced Wednesday that B.C. will allow no surface discharge of "produced water" from coalbed methane operations in this province. Instead, this water must be injected back into the ground, well below any domestic water aquifer.
The government's standards also call for companies to use the most advanced, commercially viable technology to minimize land and esthetic disturbances. They must also fully engage local communities and First Nations in all stages of development.
Read the entire article . . .
Province institutes new coalbed methane regulations
A provincial government announcement last week that B.C. will require no surface discharge of water produced from coalbed methane developments will have no effect on the proposed project near Telkwa.
The project proponent, Norwest Corporation, had already said during the community consultation process they would be re-injecting wastewater.
With the announcement, B.C. has become the first jurisdiction in Canada to require no surface discharge of water produced from coalbed methane developments.
Read the entire article . . .