Environmental Information
Environmental Protection
Produced Water
Minimizing Surface Land Impacts
Air Quality Protection
Wildlife Protection
Environmental Stewardship Program
Environmental Protection
The Province of British Columbia ensures the protection of fisheries, wildlife and their habitat, watershed and groundwater, air quality and timber values through a comprehensive framework of laws, regulations, standards and guidelines.
The provincial regulator of oil and gas exploration and development activities in BC is the Oil and Gas Commission (OGC). The OGC is responsible for reviewing coalbed gas (CBG) applications prior to any development taking place. Applications are assessed on a project by-project basis using existing environmental information. Other government agencies such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Forests, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans may also be consulted in the OGC’s application review process. Where gaps in essential data are identified, companies are required to undertake the necessary investigations to ensure that site-specific information is collected and documented in accordance with provincially accepted standards.
In a company’s applications to the OGC it is required to demonstrate how it will reduce environmental impacts. For instance, the company must provide a description of measures taken to protect groundwater aquifers, provide plans for handling the disposal of produced water, as well as drilling and completion fluids, plans to mitigate disturbance to local residents (noise, visibility, hours for trucking water etc), and to prevent the spread of noxious weeds to areas disturbed by project activities. The OGC may apply conditions to application approvals requiring the company to undertake site-specific assessments and monitor the environment.
If the OGC is satisfied that a company’s application adequately addresses environmental impacts and meets regulatory requirements it issues an approval, development permit or authorization for the project to commence. OGC approvals contain a number of terms and conditions that the applicant company must incorporate into the implementation of their project. OGC approvals establish legally binding enforceable conditions that the company must abide by.
Produced Water
On February 27, 2007, the Provincial Government released “The BC Energy Plan: A Vision for Clean Energy Leadership”. The Energy Plan clarifies and enhances British Columbia’s commitments to making British Columbia coalbed gas production the most environmentally responsible in North America. By the new standards put forward in the Energy Plan, companies wanting to develop coalbed gas will not be allowed to surface discharge produced water. Any re-injected produced water must be injected well below any domestic water aquifer.
For more information, please see the Produced Water section of this website.
Minimizing Surface Land Impacts
The Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) requires that a project be designed to minimize surface land impacts and fragmentation of the natural habitat. Surface land impacts can be minimized by drilling multiple wells from a single surface location, and by aligning roads or pipelines along natural field breaks. In areas where farming, ranching, forestry and mining activities have previously taken place a project may be able to utilize existing infrastructure such as roads, thereby further minimizing the surface disturbance.
For more information see the OGC’s Stream Crossing Planning Guide.
Air Quality Protection
Communities adjacent to coalbed gas development are concerned that air quality may be compromised due to emissions from flaring (the burning of natural gas that cannot be conserved) and venting (the release of natural gas to the atmosphere where conservation or flaring is not practical). Flaring is similar to the flame in a furnace used for home heating but on a larger in scale. Flaring and venting regulations have been set by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP). The Oil and Gas Commission's Information Letter Information Letter #OGC 03-23 explains industry’s requirements to report flaring to property owners and residents. Further to this, companies are regulated under the Environmental Management Act, Drilling and Production Regulations and the Oil and Gas Commission’s Public Involvement Guideline.
Wildlife Protection
The Oil and Gas Commission requires industry to address the potential impacts of oil and gas development on wildlife, stream quality, fish and fish habitat values. Before a project is allowed to proceed, a company must demonstrate how it will mitigate impacts to wildlife and fish populations, and habitats within the development area. As a project proceeds, measures to ensure that a company follows the specific terms and conditions outlined in the development permit are enforced by follow-up with Compliance and Enforcement inspections and audits.
Sources of information on wildlife studies for specific coalfields can be found on the Environmental Resource Information Project (ERIP) site.
For more information on biodiversity, endangered species and ecosystems in British Columbia please visit the website of the Ministry of Environment.
Environmental Stewardship Program
The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR) leads a targeted and focused Oil and Gas Environmental Stewardship Program (OGESP) that helps to address the Province’s strategic objective of maintaining healthy communities and a sustainable environment. The Oil and Gas Environmental Stewardship Program is a component of The BC Energy Plan: A Vision for Clean Energy Leadership. The Province is committed to enhancing the Environmental Stewardship Program, ensuring sound environmental, land, and resource management.
The OGESP, administered by MEMPR’s Resource Development and Geoscience Branch, encompasses two funding programs: the Environmental Policy Program (EPP) and the Environmental Resource Information Project (ERIP).
Please visit the Telkwa Water Technical Working Group webpage for more information about this group.
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