December 05 2008 » Media Releases » Tahltan Central Council
Tahltan Nation Applauds Government Decision to Suspend CBM Development in the Sacred Headwaters
December 5, 2008 – Dease Lake, BC: The Tahltan Central Council (TCC), the organization responsible for
protecting Tahltan Title and Rights, applauds today’s provincial government announcement to amend Shell
Canada’s petroleum and natural gas tenure license. The amendment will stop Shell from exploring and
developing coalbed methane (CBM), a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds, in the Klappan region.
The Klappan is a region in northwestern British Columbia, located approximately 500 kilometres north of
Smithers and approximately 300 kilometres southeast of Dease Lake. The region is home to the headwaters of
three major salmon bearing rivers – the Stikine, Skeena and the Nass. The TCC was approached by the
government prior to this amendment.
“The Tahltan Nation supports responsible and sustainable development; however, we feel that CBM
development is advancing without full and complete information or an established and agreed upon framework
for decision-making that respects and recognizes Tahltan Title and Rights,” says Annita McPhee, Chair of the
TCC. “This suspension will provide our Nation the time it needs to be well informed on all issues relating to
CBM. We must be fully informed of the potential challenges that come with its development to ensure they
align with Tahltan laws and values.” The TCC calls on the provincial government to invest in capacity building
in the northwest.
Marie Quock is the Chief of the Iskut band and represents the community closest to the proposed
development. “Today’s announcement is welcome in our community,” says Chief Quock. “This project has
challenged our people because, while we need employment and to achieve our economic goals, we also need
to protect our land and heritage and ensure that development in our traditional territory is sustainable for
generations to come.” Today’s announcement comes after years of advocacy by the Tahltan Nation and others
to the government and will enable the Tahltan Nation to fully explore resource management issues including
land use planning, environmental baseline studies, social and cultural impact studies and eco-systems
mapping prior to development.
The Tahltan Nation includes on and off-reserve Tahltans living in Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut.
There are over 3,000 Tahltan members living across the country and who’s traditional territory encompasses
11% of British Columbia. Over 50% of all mineral exploration in the province takes place in the Tahltan
Nation’s traditional territory.
For more information on this announcement please contact:
Annita McPhee, Chair Tahltan Central Council
Cell – 778-229-1264
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Tahltan Central Council (http://www.tahltan.org)
Box 69
Tatl’ah (Dease Lake, BC)
V0C 1L0
Phone 250-771-3274
Fax 250-771-3020
