Drilling to begin in B.C. parkland

The British Columbia government and environmentalists have agreed to allow some natural gas drilling beneath protected wilderness areas. The deal requires directional drilling to eliminate surface disturbance within the regions and covers only 250,000 acres of 11 million acres set aside in the Northern Rockies for parks, protected areas and special management areas. But Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. has already paid C$7.5 million for a five-year drilling permit covering almost 70,000 acres near the Northwest Territories border. Other opportunities in the natural gas-rich Fort Nelson and Fort St. John regions are expected to be snapped up.