Coalbed methane (CBM) extraction in Northwest British Columbia poses potentially significant risks to salmon, according to a new report commissioned by the Pembina Institute.
The report, Coalbed Methane and Salmon: Assessing the Risks, evaluates potential impacts of CBM extraction in Northwest British Columbia's Headwaters region, where three of the province's most important salmon-bearing rivers, the Skeena, Nass and Stikine, begin.
"CBM activities have significant impacts on land, water and wildlife," says Jaisel Vadgama, Senior Policy Analyst at the Pembina Institute. "But scientists don't yet know how harmful the impacts on salmon would be. The fact that salmon spawn in the Headwaters, in tributaries of the Skeena and the Nass, is itself not well known."
CBM production typically requires a dense web of roads, well pads and pipelines in order to be profitable, and therefore leaves a large footprint on the land. It also frequently requires removal of large amounts of groundwater.
According to Coalbed Methane and Salmon: Assessing the Risks, environmental impacts associated with CBM take on new significance in salmon-bearing watersheds. Land clearing can change the patterns and intensity of runoff, increasing erosion. This can lead to muddier streams and destruction of spawning habitat. Groundwater removal, even when it occurs deep underground, can change the flow and temperature of streams.
"Wild salmon are integral to the cultures and the economy of the Northwest," says Greg Brown, Policy Analyst at the Pembina Institute. "Until we know more about the potential impacts on salmon, and how, or if, those impacts can be mitigated, proceeding with CBM in the Headwaters would be an irresponsible experiment."
"Premier Campbell urgently needs to implement a regulatory framework that addresses scientific and citizen concerns about coalbed methane extraction," adds Vadgama. "As pressure increases for new oil and gas development across British Columbia, the government needs to acknowledge that in many places, CBM extraction could cause unacceptable environmental damage and should not be allowed."
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The report, Coalbed Methane and Salmon: Assessing the Risks, was commissioned by the Pembina Institute and prepared by GW Solutions Inc. The full report and a summary fact sheet outlining key conclusions can be downloaded from www.pembina.org/pub/1634
A backgrounder outlining the need for new CBM regulations in British Columbia, Concerns About British Columbia's Approach to Coalbed Methane Development, can be downloaded from www.pembina.org/pub/1628 The fact sheet Coalbed Methane and Salmon: Trial or Error? includes key principles that should be included in effective CBM regulations. It can be downloaded from www.pembina.org/pub/1634
For more information, contact:
Jaisel Vadgama, Senior Policy Analyst
Cell: 604-992-0686