Times Colonist
Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Mike Dawson wants to assure Vancouver Islanders that the environmental risks of coalbed methane production are "probably not as high" as we're concerned they might be, but he does acknowledge that produced wastewater is sometimes pretty toxic stuff. ("Coalbed gas wastewater key to viability on Island," March 26.)

Dawson is president of the lobby organization that promotes things like coalbed methane extraction. What would you expect him to say?

Dawson also says the industry won't be digging any wells soon on Vancouver Island. That's not what Hillsborough Resources' respresentatives told people in Campbell River a few months ago. Their intent was to apply for drilling permits last fall.

The industry has a sad legacy of havoc on the landscape and corruption of groundwater. It has been rejected passionately in virtually every B.C. community where it has been proposed.

Coal and coalbed methane potential is in every watershed on Vancouver Island's east side from Campbell River to south of Nanaimo. Each of those watersheds is already beset with a host of water issues. Each is vulnerable salmon habitat.

Dawson's industry would remove enormous quantities of water from the coalbeds in those watersheds.

Coalbed methane development is industrialization of the landscape, poses nothing but risk to our water and salmon and provides no local economic benefit. It's the fossil fuel extraction equivalent of picking cigarette butts up off the sidewalk to get another hit of nicotine.

Arthur Caldicott

GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition

Cowichan Bay