December 10 2008 » Media Releases » Office of the Wetsewet'en
Wet’suwet’en Chiefs Respond to Coalbed Methane Announcements
Wet’suwet’en, December 9, 2008 – The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have commended the Tahltan for their efforts to protect the headwaters of the Skeena River, following the BC government’s announcement Friday of a moratorium on coalbed methane (CBM) drilling in the Sacred Headwaters.
The Wet’suwet’en Chiefs also called on Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Richard Neufeld to reconsider a CBM tenure in the Elk Valley. The tenure was granted to BP as part of Friday’s announcement. The Chiefs strongly urged residents in the Fernie area and members of the Ktunaxa First Nation to seriously consider the impacts to the water, land and wildlife that sustain their communities.
In September, the First Nations Summit and Union of BC Municipalities passed complimentary resolutions calling for a 10-year moratorium on CBM development in British Columbia.
The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, who tabled the First Nations Summit resolution, do not have confidence in the province’s current regulatory regime for CBM. There are no known technologies whereby coalbed methane can be extracted without significant impacts to the land and water.
“Until companies and government develop safe processes, the Wet’suwet’en cannot accept coalbed methane development,” said Wet’suwet’en Natural Resources Manager David DeWit.
A CBM project in the Wet’suwet’en’s ancestral territory, near Telkwa, was proposed in 2006 but was quietly withdrawn after opposition from the Hereditary Chiefs and the surrounding communities.
“Minister Neufeld has an opportunity to work with First Nations, companies and British Columbians towards a regulatory regime that is agreeable for the betterment of all,” said DeWit.
A rigorous regulatory regime would include a process for establishing if and where coalbed methane development is appropriate and would not infringe on Indigenous Rights and Title.
Contact:
David deWit, Natural Resources Manager: (250) 847-3630
