British Columbia's new government will fast-track a decision on whether to lift its offshore moratorium, although Energy Minister Richard Neufeld said the first well would be at least eight years away, if at all. He promised a plan will be released within two weeks outlining a government strategy for assessing community support and reaching a decision.
At the same time, Neufeld rejected two years of work by Northern Development Commissioner John Backhouse, who proposed a series of 15 public meetings, to be completed by March 31, 2002. Neufeld dismissed the report as a leftover from the former New Democratic Party government, which was virtually wiped out in an election landslide two months ago.
"We are disappointed the NDP didn't ask for more," he said. "We're no further ahead now than we were when (Backhouse) started."
Neufeld said his action plan will outline how the "B.C. government is going to take the offshore oil and gas issue forward in an expedited fashion." Rather than another 18 months of meetings, he said the government is confident it can "move quicker and still involve people in the northwest."
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers told the government last week it is anxious to access offshore oil and gas reserves, but won't get involved until the 1972 moratorium is lifted. Neufeld that that while some in the government favor offshore drilling that won't happen without support from the federal government, the province and aboriginal communities.
Environmentalists have vowed to fight any attempt to end the ban in what they describe as an earthquake-prone region, with a biologically rich marine environment.
Haida Indians from the Queen Charlotte Islands are also opposed to drilling before a native land claim is settled.
The 4 million acres of Hecate Strait, south of the Alaska panhandle, is estimated to hold about 10 billion barrels of oil and 42 trillion cubic feet of gas, which could be worth C$100 billion to British Columbia, generating C$4 billion in government revenues.
