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Posted December 23, 2004
"Oil Moratorium Stays", says David Anderson
BUT Seismic Testing is the New Threat - Please WRITE AGAIN!!
The following article from the Times Colonist shows the position of
strength that we're building in the coastal oil and gas campaign -
because of yYOUR involvement. The federal Liberals will now keep the
federal moratorium in place. However, the real threat is the federal and
BC governments making an agreement to allow seismic testing (oil
exploration) to proceed under the guise of "filling in science gaps",
which would be used as a precursor to lifting the moratorium in the
future.
That's why we need you to write letters to the following new addresses
of federal politicians - even if you've already written to other
politicians before. This time, we've included all the federal Liberals
elected in BC, plus a couple of senators - they form a decisive block in
government on this issue. Simply state whether or not you want them to:
- Ban coastal oil and gas development
- NOT issue any seismic testing permits, even under the guise of doing
"science"
Mr. Don Bell
M.P., BC Caucus Chair
Bell.D@parl.gc.ca
David Anderson
M.P., Victoria
Anderson.D@parl.gc.ca
Raymond Chan
MP, Richmond BC
Chan.R@parl.gc.ca
Ujjal Dosanjh
MP, Vancouver South
Dosanjh.U@parl.gc.ca
David Emerson
MP, Vancouver Kingsway
Emerson.D@parl.gc.ca
Hedy Fry
MP, Vancouver Centre
Fry.H@parl.gc.ca
Keith Martin
MP, Esquimault-Juan de Fuca
Martin.K@parl.gc.ca
Stephen Owen
MP, Vancouver Quadra
Owen.S@parl.gc.ca
Sen. Jack Austin
Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senate of Canada, 304 Victoria
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A4
tel: 613-992-1437
fax: 613-995-7329
Sen. D. Ross Fitzpatrick
Senate of Canada, 246 East
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A4
tel: 613-992-4974
fax: 613-992-7360
Sen. Mobina S. B. Jaffer
Senate of Canada, 900 Victoria
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A4
tel: 613-992-0189
fax: 613-992-0673
THANK YOU so much for your support! Don't forget to sign our online
petition and circulate hardcopies, at www.bcoilslick.org
- Pearl Gottschalk, WCWC Victoria Campaign Assistant
Oil-gas moratorium stays, Anderson says
Victoria Times Colonist, December 17, 2004
by Ian Bailey
The federal government has decided to continue a moratorium on offshore
oil and gas exploration off the west coast of B.C., says former cabinet
minister David Anderson, citing "good to excellent" sources.
Anderson, a 10-year member of cabinet until he was shuffled out by Prime
Minister Paul Martin last summer, said Thursday that "the decision is
simply to let this thing drop."
Anderson, a determined opponent of any move to lift the 30-year-old ban,
said he did not expect any major announcement from the government
because it's not changing an existing policy.
"They're just simply going to leave [the moratorium] be," Anderson said
from Ottawa. "It's a continuation. It doesn't require a decision, as a
lifting of the moratorium would require."
But Anderson, MP for Victoria, said he suspects the issue is not dead
yet. "One day it will come up again," he said.
The B.C. government has argued for a lifting of the ban so scientific
research could begin into an industry potentially worth billions of
dollars to the province.
Ottawa's ban on offshore oil and gas exploration in the Queen Charlotte
Basin has been in place since 1972.
A spokesman for federal Industry Minister David Emerson said Thursday
that cabinet has made no formal decision on the moratorium and isn't in
a hurry to deal with the question of lifting the ban.
"There already is a moratorium. We're not sensing any great pressure to
move off that, at this point," said Ian Jack.
"The issue is likely going to be debated at cabinet at some point. In
the meantime, the moratorium continues."
B.C. Energy Minister Richard Neufeld said he hasn't heard anything from
Ottawa on the moratorium since the release of a report last month that
cited broad public opposition to lifting the ban.
Neufeld said he and other members of a B.C. delegation met officials in
Ottawa around that time, and said there was a need for work on such
issues as regulations and an environmental assessment process to guide
any industry.
"They certainly didn't throw stones or bricks at the suggestions we
made. We're assuming they're going to work with us," Neufeld said.
He downplayed the urgency of lifting the moratorium.
But there has been an expectation of some federal action since the
release of a report last month by a panel headed by Roland Priddle that
found deep divisions in B.C. over offshore oil and gas exploration.
The panel, which held numerous hearings in B.C., found public views are
so split that there is no chance of compromise.
Priddle, a former chairman of the National Energy Board, had suggested
it was up to Ottawa to resolve the issue.
He said about three-quarters of submissions to the panel opposed lifting
the ban.
Neufeld dismissed the Priddle process as "fit for the shredder," because
it didn't add anything new to the long-running debate.
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