OFFSHORE OIL & GAS - A dirty business
Will BC head for inevitable disaster OR for energy self sufficiency and clean renewables?
Beautiful British Columbia's scenic and still largely wild coast is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful places on Earth, attracting millions of tourists each year. The rich marine environment provides a living for tens of thousands of British Columbians in the fishing and tourism industries, and has been the breadbasket for BC's diverse coastal First Nations cultures since time immemorial.
But, in this land of beauty, dinosaurs now rule. Regressive, short-sighted thinking and the drive for greater corporate profits is sweeping through BC. The new provincial Liberal government wants to lift the 30 year old moratorium on offshore oil and gas developments. It was first put in place in 1971 by the Social Credit government and then expanded in 1972 by the federal Liberal government because of concerns about disastrous oil spills. The moratorium is now being questioned by a BC government-appointed "scientific" review panel that presents its recommendations in January, 2002. However, this review is merely a green-washing formality. All indications are that the BC government will try to lift the moratorium to "get BC's economy booming".
The primary areas of interest - the Queen Charlotte Basin beneath eastern Graham Island, Hecate Strait, Dixon Entrance, and Queen Charlotte Sound, located between the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Alaskan Panhandle, the Mainland Coast, and Vancouver Island are among the most biologically productive marine areas on Earth.
Oil Spills Likely in Canada's Most Earthquake Prone Region
BC's Hecate Strait, where major gas am oil reserves are believed to exist, has had earthquakes of 8.1 (1949) and 7.0 (1929 and 1970) or the Richter Scale. On top of high earthquake hazards Hecate Strait boasts some of the world's fiercest wind! - exceeding 200 km per hour - that result in colossal waves. The targeted oil and gas reserves are situated in the very worst region in Canada for potential oil spill hazards. Spills can occur from tanker accidents, as in the famous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1988 or the Netusca oil spill in 1989 off Washington State that' doused Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Long Beach with deadly oil. They can also occur from "blow-out" of the oil wells themselves, as in the 10,000 barrel! of oil a day blow-out in the US Gulf of Mexico in 199: that coated marine wildlife with oil and killed large numbers of sea birds.
Inevitable Chronic Daily Pollution
In addition to the threat of big oil spills are the large amounts of pollutants that offshore oil and gas development routinely discharges into the ocean. Waste products include toxic drill cuttings, drill muds, and drilling fluids. Thousands of tonnes of heavy metal-laden toxic chemicals are spewed into the ocean from every test welt and production platform as an inevitable by-product of the extraction and processing of oil and gas. This chemical soup works its way into the food chain, into the fish and shellfish that we eat and into the whales, seals, and birds that also eat these organisms. The air is negatively impacted, too. It is estimated that every day a single offshore rig emits about the same quantity of air pollution as do 7000 cars each driving 80 kilometers.
More Oil and Gas Aren't the Solution
It's unconscionable of BC to launch massive new oil and gas developments when there are grave international concerns about increasing atmospheric CO2 and rapid climate change. In 2001, in Kyoto, Canada committed to stabilizing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions at 6% less than 1990 levels by 2012--about 30 percent less than is consumed today. Meeting our Kyoto commitment is clearly impossible if we extract and consume more and more fossil fuels.
The Geological Survey of Canada estimates that there may be 9.8 billion barrels of available oil and 25 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Queen Charlotte Basin. But even this huge quantity won't solve the energy crisis of a a world currently using 17 billion barrels of oil and 82 trillion cubic feet of gas a year. The answer is conservation and clean renewable energy, not offshore oil and gas which will increase atmospheric CO2 and accelerate climate change. We could reduce our fossil fuel use by at least 30 percent with current renewable energy technology at a fraction of the cost of exploiting offshore oil and gas. There is no time to waste!
Say no to offshore oil and gas developments and yes to renewable energy projects.
Few New Jobs for Local People
Many unemployed fishermen and forestry workers are hoping for good-paying jobs in an offshore oil and gas development boom. While certainly some new jobs would be created, most of those for local people would be short-term ones during the construction phase of offshore rigs. There would be very few permanent jobs for local people, as hydrocarbon extraction requires highly specialized labour. In the Sable Island oil plat-form off Newfoundland, only 45 percent of all employees are Canadians - 55 percent are foreigners. The West Coast Offshore Exploration Environmental Assessment Panel (1986) states "Typically, exploration activities are handled by contractors who bring in equipment and their own highly trained crews."
In fact, local jobs in fisheries and tourism will undoubtedly be diminished by offshore drilling. Today an estimated 10,000 BC jobs rely on the fishing industry. Tourism, which employs over 100,000, is the second biggest industry in the province. Seismic testing, daily toxic discharges, chronic oil leakages, scenic pollution and the potential of a major spill will negatively impact fish stocks, coastal wilderness and the livelihoods that depend on these traditional coastal assets. Profits to the biggest, wealthiest oil companies and eventually tax royalties to government - not long-term jobs for local people - would be the prime benefits of lifting the moratorium. The costs to current economies are immense. In addition, offshore oil and gas development would require huge government subsidies.
A Sustainable Alternative
There are ways to create new sustainable jobs on BC's coast. Besides rehabilitating and enhancing wild salmon runs, encouraging ecotourism in the Great Bear Rainforest and other coastal wilderness areas like Gwaii Haanas National Park, and developing oyster and clam mariculture, the BC government should encourage the development of sustainable, non-polluting wind and tidal power. One thing for sure-there is no easy "quick-fix" cure to counter the job losses caused by years of reckless overcutting of our forests and overfishing.
Wise Decisions are Needed
BC's Liberal government will decide on whether or not to continue the provincial moratorium on off-shore fossil fuel development after its "scientific panel" makes its recommendations in early 2002. Even if BC lifts its moratorium a federal moratorium is still in place. Offshore resources also fall under First Nations rights and title. Federal Environment Minister David Anderson says he won't lift the moratorium unless the issues that prompted the moratorium in the first place are ad-dressed. The provincial government will likely pressure the federal government with claims that new technologies address environmental concerns and make the risks acceptable. It's critical that both levels of government, as well as local First Nations, hear from YOU about your views on the proposed developments and the ecological integrity of BC's Pacific coast.
