BP: licensed to drill in Elk Valley this summer
Gets OK from B.C. government three days after Gulf explosion
Work has already begun at BP’s controversial Mist Mountain drill site near Fernie. Apparently, business goes on as usual for the company, despite its responsibilities to fix the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 23 — three days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill — the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission granted BP permission to drill for coalbed methane at Fir Creek, a tributary of the Elk River 22 kilometres northeast of Fernie. Construction began in June and drilling could start this summer.
Wildsight’s Ryland Nelson says it’s too early for any corporation to tap into coalbed methane in the southern Rockies, least of all BP with its dismal safety record — currently the worst in the world, according to the U.S. Center for Public Integrity.
“Coalbed methane extraction is brutal on the landscape,” Nelson said. “The government of B.C. is promoting it to corporations like BP without making sure it won’t gut our super-natural ecosystems.” (The 300 square-kilometre Mist Mountain project is, for example, exempt from the B.C.’s own Environmental Assessment process.)
At the project site there is no way to dispose of the potentially toxic wastewater that results from coalbed methane extraction. BP could end up trucking all water from the drilling process to a dump site in Alberta.
“B.C.’s southern Rocky Mountains are not suitable for large-scale coalbed methane extraction, but they’re irreplaceable to wildlife and water," Nelson said. “BP stood down from drilling in the Flathead only after immense public pressure. Those who say the citizens of B.C. should let BP drill in the Elk Valley need to understand that coalbed methane extraction is still a dirty business, no matter who is doing it.”
Coalbed methane: What’s the problem?
Coalbed methane is found in coal seams. To be extracted, the water around it must be pumped out. This water can be hazardous to streams if disposed of above ground and to groundwater if re-injected underground. Coalbed methane development degrades the landscape and presents a web of barriers to wildlife, fragmenting their habitat and reducing their populations.
What’s the solution?
Because coalbed methane is new in B.C., watchdog groups like Wildsight recommend its development — including exploration — stops until three things happen:
- Local communities have a clear say in deciding where and how CBM projects proceed;
- All projects undergo mandatory environmental assessments that address cumulative impacts; and
- Sufficient funds are dedicated to independent baseline research, so that companies like BP aren’t responsible for policing themselves.
