The multinational oil corporation BP has been given the go-ahead to develop coalbed methane in a 300-square kilometre stretch of Rocky Mountain wilderness west of Fernie, the B.C. government announced
this week.

In brokering the deal with BP, the B.C. Liberals ignored concerns from the
local community and the City of Fernie, who strongly oppose CBM in the the
Southern Rockies region without further review.

“The government claimed today that there is support from local governments
for this tenure. The reality is the community with the most to lose, Fernie,
is firmly opposed and the community furthest away and upstream, Elkford, is
the only one in support,” said Casey Brennan, Wildsight’s Southern Rockies
program manager.

“It is very disappointing that the Provincial government can ignore the
strong message of opposition from the City of Fernie and issue BP tenure,”
said Aaron Goos, City of Fernie councillor. “I will be looking to see what
options are available to us at this point.”

Wildsight is frustrated after years of asking for open dialogue with the
Province about the environmental costs of CBM. Wildsight contends that BP’s
access to these public lands will allow a repeat performance of their
already dismal environmental track record.

The granting of this tenure effectively blankets an area that has a
multitude of other industrial uses already occurring or proposed. A strip
mine and an underground coal mine as well as an 80 megawatt wind farm are
all proposed for this same critical wildlife area without any evaluation of
the cumulative effects of these industrial projects.

“The B.C. government is issuing tenure and allowing exploration for
subsurface resources while ignoring the need to steward the impacts on water
and wildlife,” said Brennan.

“Why have they not respected the concernsof the citizens in the Elk Valley
and granted BP tenure, yet at the same time they have imposed a two-year
moratorium on CBM development in northwestern B.C.? Are our concerns less
valid then those in the northwest?”

Wildsight has three main concerns about BP’s tenure to this area: wildlife,
water and due process. Please refer to the backgrounder attached for details
on the concerns with these issues.

“This is a sad day for democracy and an even sadder day for wilderness,”
Brennan said. “The provincial government is ignoring the concerns of
community members and BP is now able to begin the industrialization of our
wild Rocky Mountain backcountry. The B.C. government has given the keys to
BP without even attempting to understand what the long term effects will
be.”

For more information, contact:
Casey Brennan
Wildsight Southern Rockies and Flathead Program Manager
casey@wildsight.ca