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Here's an older article from The Province that we haven't posted until now.
Most oppose offshore oil exploration
First Nations unanimous in
rejecting drilling
The Province, November 21, 2004
By Charlie Anderson, with files from Ian Bailey
Any move toward drilling for oil and gas off B.C.'s coast received a
major poke in the eye Friday after a federal review of public sentiment
showed three out of four British Columbians are against it.
The review, under the chairmanship of Roland Priddle, is part of the
federal response to a 2002 B.C. government request that Ottawa
re-examine the moratorium.
Environmentalists fearful of potential pollution from oil exploration
quickly seized on the results of the public-review panel process. Of the
nearly 3,700 responses, 75 per cent were against lifting the moratorium.
Twenty-three per cent wanted the moratorium lifted and two per cent had
no position.
The panel solicited submissions, ballots and petitions as well as oral
presentations at 10 public meetings held in B.C. between April 5 and May
18.
The 70 First Nations bands unanimously opposed lifting the moratorium
with some adding the qualification "at this time."
"It absolutely reflects people's wishes in the area," said Oonagh
O'Connor of the Living Oceans Society.
"The people got out and said we don't want this . . . Priddle's
accurately reflected what the people of B.C. have said, and now its up
to the Prime Minister to listen."
Priddle , an oil-and-gas expert, is a member of the Canadian Petroleum
Hall of Fame and a former National Energy Board chairman.
Ken Wu of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee called for a federal
legislated ban on offshore and gas development.
"Only a measly 23 per cent of people want [moratorium] lifted," said Wu.
"We believe the federal Liberal government is obligated to listen to the
results of their own public input process."
Federal Natural Resources Minister John Efford said decision-making on
the moratorium hasn't begun yet and he promised not to rush to any
conclusion. He also promised to consult with cabinet colleagues, the
B.C. caucus and the B.C. government.
Conservative government leader John Reynolds was pressing for a quick
decision and said he believed Efford's Newfoundland roots would help
persuade him to lift the moratorium. "The federal minister knows quite
well that these types of drilling are safe, environmentally safe,
because they have done it off Newfoundland," said Reynolds.
"It's providing much wealth off Newfoundland. We can do the same off the
West Coast."
Those hoping for progress towards lifting the moratorium were
disappointed at the report and its conclusions. Priddle presented four
options to government ranging from a legislated ban to an outright
lifting of the moratorium.
Other options included maintaining or lifting the ban while at the same
time seeking to fill knowledge gaps surrounding the technology.
B.C. Energy and Mines minister Richard Neufeld said the review was a
waste of money and produced recommendations he could have written "for
nothing . . . in 10 minutes."
"Unfortunately the process of counting and all those sort of things is
silly at best," said Neufeld.
"To go out and just flat out ask the question without having any backup
as to how you would actually proceed with offshore oil and gas if it did
happen -- obviously you're going to get a no from anybody that's
thinking."
Conservative natural-resources critic John Duncan called the process "a
cop out" saying that a signature on a petition was counted as equivalent
to a major presentation, which represents thousands.
MORATORIUM MOMENTS
Ottawa first imposed a moratorium on crude-oil tanker traffic in local
B.C. waters in 1972, which was later extended to cover all gas-and-oil
activities. Victoria later added its own moratorium.
A review into lifting the moratorium was put on hold in 1989 after the
Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
In 2001, the Campbell government commissioned several studies to examine
possible impacts of lifting the moratorium, and a provincial scientific
panel gave such a move a conditional thumbs up.
In 2002, the provincial government asked the federal government to
consider lifting the moratorium.
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