BP moves ahead with mine

By CHRIS PETERSON

For the Bigfork Eagle

For a company that tries to sell itself as a green corporation, British Petroleum is expected to go ahead with plans that could industrialize the Canadian Flathead, watchdogs on this side of the border claim.

The Flathead Basin Commission recently learned that BP will seek an exploratory permit to drill for coal-bed methane in the Canadian Flathead River drainage.

The Canadian Flathead becomes the North Fork of the Flathead River in the U.S. and makes up most of the western boundary of Glacier National Park.

The commission learned of the permit application through its Canadian liaison, Kathy Eichenberger, of the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment. The application has not been submitted, however, said Jake Jacobs, the public affairs officer for the province's Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum.

The Canadian Flathead has seen a host of threats in recent years, from coal-bed methane development to coal mines. The Cline Mining Co., for example, is eyeing a coal mine in the Foisey Creek drainage — the headwaters of the river.

Coal-bed methane development in the region is seen as an even more insidious development, as it requires a network of huge well-head areas and roads to serve them. Right now, the Canadian Flathead is almost entirely undeveloped.

As Montanans were learning of BP's plans, Mike Volesky, the natural resources policy advisor to Gov. Brian Schweitzer, said the governor's office will hold a symposium in November to talk about trans-boundary water quality issues.

There is also concern about wastewater from coal-bed methane development. In order to extract the gas, large volumes of water are pumped out of ground, which releases pressure on the gas. The gas then flows to the surface.

The problem is that the wastewater is generally unfit for humans, wildlife or fish. British Columbia recently announced that wastewater from such development would have to be pumped back underground, but critics aren't sure that will work. Because of the geology of the landscape, the wastewater could find its way back to the surface.

Erin Sexton, a researcher at the University of Montana's Flathead Biological Station, has been conducting baseline water quality studies in the Canadian Flathead and has studied coal-bed methane development extensively. She said that even an exploratory permit could mean considerable development in that region, not to mention full-scale production.

The announcement caused some debate by the Flathead Basin Commission on whether to try to meet directly with BP officials. Some members thought that meeting with BP would be an indication that the commission was trying to negotiate with an energy company.

But others thought the commission should try to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the company to explain to them that coal-bed methane development in that region wasn't acceptable.

In the end, the commission decided to try to meet with BP in Calgary. Earlier this year, a representative from a local watchdog group, the Flathead Coalition, hand-delivered a letter of concern to BP officers at their London-based headquarters.

The Flathead Basin Commission is a multi-agency board charged with protecting the water quality in the Flathead River. It includes representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the state, Glacier National Park, Flathead County and a host of other interests.

BP touts itself as a "green" energy company, with energy development in more than 100 nations.

Meanwhile, British Columbia has launched what it's calling a new "net profit royalty" program, which promotes coal-bed methane gas extraction as well as other more technically difficult methods of coal bed extraction.

The program allows deductions in royalty payments to the province for exploration costs as well as development, operation and costs for abandoning and remediation.