The British Columbia government has announced a two year moratorium on exploring for coal bed methane in the Klappan (Sacred Headwaters) of northwest BC. Not surprisingly, the Tahltan express pleasure with the announcement.
The Canadian Press reports that Shell and the Tahltan reached the moratorium (together, presumably?).
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“The Province has authorized its provincial negotiators to include revenue sharing with First Nations on new mining projects, Minister of State for Mining Gordon Hogg announced today. British Columbia is the first province in Canada to share direct revenue generated from mining.”
The full press release is here.
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The Terrace Standard reports that Nathan Cuthen’s (NDP) victory in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding in the recent federal election was partly the result of his association with anti-coal bed methane drilling in the Klappan. Consensus among candidates against drilling appears to exist in the region. But, it seems that Cullen was better than [...]
theTyee.ca reveals that Shell continues to conduct research activities in the Klappan despite recent calls to ban coal bed methane extraction in BC.
“We’ve got rednecks, commercial fishermen, sport fishermen, First Nations, municipal leaders, you name it — it’s a broad spectrum of people who don’t find this [drilling in the Klappan] acceptable,” said Doug Donaldson, the mayor of Hazelton, B.C. and a supporter of yesterday’s resolution at the Union of B. C. Municipalities.
What a great line!
Oh, the [...]
Mark Hume has written a substantial article in the Globe and Mail outlining the history of resource development in northwestern BC (or here via Native News North). The article comes on the heels of the Union of BC Municipalities publicly opposing coal bed gas drilling and coal mining in the Klappan (Sacred Headwaters). [...]
Intercontinental Cry draws an intriguing connection between a recent Supreme Court of BC decision and Shell’s suspension of drilling operations in the Klappan (Wii’litswx v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests); 2008 BCSC 1139). This Court ruling chastised the provincial government for not consulting the Gitanyow (north central BC; Gitksan) about logging leases on its [...]
Shell has suspended plans to explore for coal-bed methane in the environmentally and culturally sensitive Klappan region of northwestern British Columbia for the rest of 2008.
The Takla Lake First Nation (Carrier) has set up a check point on a road which provides access to its hunting and camping areas. Access to a sacred area is restricted by the action. From Opinion 250:
Takla representatives are angered that their rights and Territory have been seriously damaged by mining and forestry [...]
Update: CBC TV’s “The National” presented a report from Tahltan territory last night — from Kluea Lake where Red Chris is considering dumping its tailings. The story concerned the issue of dumping mine waste in lakes across Canada. The story is now available on CBC.ca.
Original Post: Imperial Metals, owner of Red Chris Mine [...]
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