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?).

“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.

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 other candidates at publicizing his opposition.

(Note: The article reviews briefly the history of protests against CBM drilling in the Klappan. It notes the emotional character of the label ‘sacred headwaters’ and the shift in focus for the protests from the Tahltan and their concerns to salmon.

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 the Office of the Wet’suwet’en chiefs has issued a call for a 10 year moratorium against coal-bed methane exploration in British Columbia.

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). It is timed nicely too with new support from Premier Gordon Campbell for a powerline up Highway 37. That line would connect the area to the BC Hydro grid and make power available for up to eight mines.

Hume details the positions of the Tahltan people clearly. He notes carefully the range of opinions about development in the aboriginal communities. He adds useful details about the positions of new Tahltan political leadership who are developing a decision-making process before committing to or rejecting development projects. And, the article contains extensive quotations from representatives of the mineral companies. Notably, they express little frustration at the protests over development in recent years.

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 traditional lands. (Intercontinental Cry reports on the story here.)

From Intercontinental Cry:

A little over a week before British Colombia’s Supreme Court Justice Kathryn Neilson ruled in favor of the Gitanyow First Nation, over the Forestry Ministry’s failure to adequately consult them when they leased out sections of the Gitanyow’s traditional territory, Shell Canada moved to suspend drilling in B.C.’s Klappan Valley for the remainder of 2008.

Is there a direct connection? Probably not. Still, this court ruling appears to further legal support for aboriginal ownership or control of resources on traditional lands and what happens with them.

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 in the past and nothing has been done. “The government still hasn’t cleaned up the contaminated mercury mine at the Bralorne site”, stated Councillor Kathaleigh George. “It’s on their top 10 list of contaminated sites, and they won’t clean it up. This is in an important camping and hunting area and our Nation has a hard time accepting new mining when there is this old unfinished business”.

This action looks very similar to the continuing checkpoint/blockade of the Ealue Lake Road near Iskut Village. That checkpoint restricts access to the headwaters of the Nass, Skeena, and Stikine Rivers and to the hunting and camping areas of Tahltans.

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 near Iskut, British Columbia, reports that the Federal Court of Appeal has “reconfirmed the Federal environmental assessment of the Red Chris project, which concluded the project is unlikely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.” The application against the mine and its environmental certificate was made by Mining Watch Canada.

Also: To lake or not to lake: where to put Canadian mine tailings? (I Think Mining)
Canadian Ministries still ultimate authority in mine environmental assessments (Int’l Business News; June 17, 2008)
Miners Win Court Battle (Terrace Standard; June 17, 2008)
Red Chris Mine Buoyed By Ruling (Toronto Star; June 17, 2008)
Another Mine in Northwestern BC Attracts Media Attention (Fieldnotes)
Federal Court Halts Red Chris Mine (MiningWatch; Oct 4, 2007)