Sacred Headwaters to Be Protected
Tuesday, December 18, 2012 @ 11:42 AM
Prince George, B.C.- The Sacred Headwaters will be forever protected from oil and gas development.
The Sacred Headwaters is a 400,000 hectare region which contains the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers.
Shell Canada had hoped to drill for methane gas in the region which prompted a 4 year moratorium on oil and gas development in the area. That moratorium was to end today.
Instead, Shell Canada is abandoning its plan and the Province will not issue any permits in the future for oil or gas development in that region.
MP Nathan Cullen is praising the decision by the BC government, calling it a “great victory for the Tahltan and the people of the Northwest and BC.”
Cullen draws a comparison between the proposed development in the Sacred Headwaters to the proposed Northern Gateway twin pipeline ““Shell did the right thing. The only thing. We’re looking to Enbridge next to do the right thing, and respect the will of the community.”
The Province is expected to announce it is giving Shell $20 million in royalty credits to offset the costs Shell has incurred on the lost tenures. The money will be used in Shell’s development of natural gas projects in the northeast of B.C.
Comments
“Sacred Headwaters” – really? When will it end?
It will end when the grass stops growing and the rivers stop flowing….
Why do we give 20 million dollars to a company that already receives enormous tax breaks and boasts profits in the billions?
A kitchen sink fawcett in the basement of a church can be labelled “sacred headwaters” too?
bonneville: “Why do we give 20 million dollars to a company that already receives enormous tax breaks and boasts profits in the billions?”
Those are simply the rules of the game. From Shell’s perspective, if you get to call a piece of ground ‘Sacred Headwaters’, then we get compensation from money spent and lost on tenures. Shell will then reinvest that money elsewhere in BC. Overall, it’s not a bad deal.
They should give them $40 million….think of all the jobs they will create in BCs northeast!! Well unless they move their business to Alberta.
The BC Liberals are turning into the NDP!
This is great news! The start of 3 great salmon rivers in an area still teaming with wildlife. I was worried my kids, or myself, would never see this place. Been following this issue for quite some time.
Major family road trip in summer of 2014, as long as the Mayans don’t screw up my plans on Thursday ;-)
I believe Shell is going to use the money to build a water recycling facility. Something desperately needed in the gas fracking industry. Kudos to all involved.
Next to kick out is Enbridge!
20 mil to Shell, 40 mil to Telus for the BC Place stadium naming fiasco and on and on and on……………………….
I like it. Its such a pristine area up there that it really deserves to be protected. No matter what you say we still need to be mindful of our destructive ways and we really need to figure out a way to wean ourselves off these fuels and the destructive methods of developing them.
Bonneville: The government didn’t ‘give’ Shell anything. It was a compensation payment for busting a legiminate deal they had. Oh, and what tax breaks does Shell get that any other enterprise in Canada not get? Shell itself paid over $22 billion in income taxers last year, and the oil and gas industry in Canada paid over $20 billion. Lets get the Gateway project done so they can pay even more to subsidize you losers.
Gateway? Hahahaa
I highly doubt it
Bonneville: The government didn’t ‘give’ Shell anything. It was a compensation payment for busting a legiminate deal they had. Oh, and what tax breaks does Shell get that any other enterprise in Canada not get? Shell itself paid over $22 billion in income taxers last year, and the oil and gas industry in Canada paid over $20 billion. Lets get the Gateway project done so they can pay even more to subsidize you losers.
Bonneville: The government didn’t ‘give’ Shell anything. It was a compensation payment for busting a legiminate deal they had. Oh, and what tax breaks does Shell get that any other enterprise in Canada not get? Shell itself paid over $22 billion in income taxers last year, and the oil and gas industry in Canada paid over $20 billion. Lets get the Gateway project done so they can pay even more to subsidize you losers.
Hey birdbrain how does asking a question make someone a loser? You want to see a loser check the mirror.
Hey birdshit why do you suppose I need subsidizing? So happens I’ve worked and worked hard all my life, probably subsidizing your lazy ass.
uh, with gas prices so low, CBM makes no sense anyway. Shell walked away long ago.
So, i guess they got $20m walking around money. good work if you can get it!
Sacred Headwaters, Great Bear rainforest, Salish Sea, Spirit Bear….all
“white” (sorry, we’re now called “Settler Governments”) fund raising names aplied to tug at the purse and heartstrings of the wealthy and guilty. And the fund raising beat goes on
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