British Columbia under fire for short-sighted policies

Gary Park

Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

The British Columbia government has been accused of squandering its opportunities while pursuing short-term gains from the oil and gas industry.

A coalition drawn from environmental groups, labor, landowners and First Nations delivered 10 recommendations to Premier Gordon Campbell’s government calling for review and reform of the burgeoning industry.

Karen Campbell, from West Coast Environmental Law, said the focus is on doubling production by 2011 without any acknowledgement that the resource will eventually be depleted.

She said jurisdictions such as Alberta, Alaska and Norway channel a portion of their resource revenues into funds for future generations, with Alberta’s fund currently at about C$12 billion.

Campbell also contended that Alberta has superior regulations and affords more protection for landowners.

One landowner noted that British Columbia allows sour gas wells to be drilled barely 300 feet from homes, posing a serious safety and health risk to occupants.

Labor unions expressed concern that four out of five oil and gas jobs are being filled by Albertans, while the forestry industry is worried that it will pay a heavy price as oil and gas development cuts deeper into the forests.

For the aboriginal community, Garry Oker, chief of the Doig River First Nation, called for a revenue-sharing agreement because of the disruption to Native hunting and fishing grounds by oil and gas activities.

A spokesman for the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission said many of the coalition’s recommendations are already being tackled by the government as part of its evolving energy plan.