DAWSON CREEK, B.C. - With six unsolved bombing attacks targeting the oil and gas industry in northeastern B.C., the province has announced a new program to resolve community concerns about traffic, noise, dust and environmental issues linked to the rapidly growing industry.
Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Blair Lekstrom announced a package of programs meant to improve relations between the industry and residents.
"While the industry brings jobs, infrastructure and economic development to the area, it also creates increased traffic, dust, noise, environmental and maintenance concerns," Lekstrom said in a news release announcing the changes.
"These programs and regulations will help to address these issues that are so important to residents...."
But the minister was adamant that the changes - which will reduce the controversial practice of flaring, or burning off, of fuel - are not a response to the violent tactics of the bomber.
"We've been working on this long before whoever is responsible for those bombings began their crazy actions, so this is not a reaction to any of that. There was no intent to try and address whatever this crazy person is trying to accomplish. This has been in the works for some time," Lekstrom said in a telephone interview from his northeastern B.C. riding.
There have been six bombings since last October in the area of Tomslake, B.C., located about 1,200 kilometres northeast of Vancouver near the Alberta boundary. All of the bombings have targeted Calgary-based EnCana(TSX:ECA). The last two occurred in July.
Before the bombings began, in July 2008, a letter was sent to local media calling oil and gas companies "terrorists."
This July, another letter was sent warning that if EnCana had three months to shut down operations, the bombings would get worse. The letter called the first six explosions "minor" and "fully controlled."
RCMP say the bomber is likely living in the area around Tomslake, B.C., 30 kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek. They have labelled the bombings an act of domestic terrorism, and EnCana has offered a $1 million reward leading to the conviction of whoever may be involved.
Lekstrom said other changes have been announced previously. The additional changes announced Friday will require that pipelines be constructed before the completion of a well; that testing be done inside the pipeline rather than through flaring "where possible;" and that future infrastructure designs ensure in-line flaring is possible.
However, the measures are voluntary and industry will not be obliged to comply.
Lekstrom said the response from industry has been positive and several oil and gas companies have made public commitments to adhere to the province's "guiding principles."
The province committed in 2007 to reducing routine flaring in the oil and gas industry in B.C. by 50 per cent by 2011, and Lekstrom said B.C. is actually on the way to the goal of eliminating flaring by 2016.
Мармот -это жестоко заставлять меня в 2 часа ночи читать такой текст на неродном мне языке.
В чем смысл?
Что за наезд на зелёных??
Кто-то взрывает у нас трубопроводы, ловили, ловили, не поймали.
Теперь правительство провинции решило инициировать программы по уменьшению влияния нефте-газодобычи на окружающую среду.
Типа постепенно извести газовые факелы, etc
Эко-терроризм в действии, однако...
Даже и не знаю, как к такому относится...
Мармот -это жестоко заставлять меня в 2 часа ночи читать такой текст на неродном мне языке.
В чем смысл?
Что за наезд на зелёных??
Кто-то взрывает у нас трубопроводы, ловили, ловили, не поймали.
Теперь правительство провинции решило инициировать программы по уменьшению влияния нефте-газодобычи на окружающую среду.
Типа постепенно извести газовые факелы, etc
Эко-терроризм в действии, однако...
Даже и не знаю, как к такому относится...
Эко-терроризм - да, это один из нелегитимных способов действия некоторых радикальных зеленых организаций. Насколько я помню (но могу ошибаться), эко-терроризм зародился в США, как противопоставление старым зеленым организациям, излишне сросшимися с государством и потому неэффективно (по мнению членов новых радикально настороенных зеленых организаций) охраняющих природу.
Как относится? Сложно сказать. Их деятельность часто заставляет власть работать с легитимно-работающими экологами, и вообще, что-то делать.
В России такого нет, максимум на что идут радикальные экологи - это шипование деревьев и живые акции протеста.
