News Release
Alberta Oil and Gas Companies Beware, Yukon Not What it Seems
July 4, 2000 – Whitehorse – Despite an election promise to the contrary, the new Yukon Liberal government does not intend to do public consultation or land-use-planning before inviting the oil and gas industry to nominate areas for potential development in the north Yukon. Yukon Premier Pat Duncan recently stated that she has made a commitment to industry to hold sales of oil and gas rights on an annual basis and will be doing so at the end of this month. This could put companies who purchase oil and gas rights in the north Yukon at odds with communities and conservation organizations.
“We are very disappointed with the government’s decision not to consult the Yukon public or to respect existing land-use-planning processes,” said Justin Thompson, Oil and Gas Coordinator for the Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. “There has been no opportunity to identify critical wildlife habitat or plan for traditional land uses. We are urging the Premier to consult with the affected communities as well as the Yukon public before she opens the land to industry.”
The area to be opened for oil and gas nominations in July 2000 covers a huge piece of the north Yukon straddling the Arctic Circle and running from the Northwest Territories border almost to Alaska. It consists of vast northern plains and mountain ranges, and includes parts of the Bonnet Plume Canadian Heritage River. The area is roughly twice the size of Kluane National Park, the Yukon’s largest protected area. Unplanned development in the area could affect important migration routes and winter habitat for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, a herd of 130,000 animals that ranges across parts of Alaska, the Yukon and the NWT.
“What’s the rush to open such a large area before the appropriate people have been consulted and proper planning has been done?” Thompson asked. “We have the opportunity to do things right in the Yukon for both Yukoners and for industry.”
The land-use-planning process for parts of the north Yukon is just getting underway and in other areas has not even been initiated. During the recent election, the Premier stated that “land-use-planning is very important and should take place before these leases (oil and gas) are made.” In addition, the area to be opened covers large areas that have not yet been examined by the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy, a visionary strategy passed by the Yukon government in 1998 to protect the territory’s wilderness resource.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has come out in support of the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy. Consistent with their position, a 1998 memo from CAPP to the Yukon government stated that “a key requirement for orderly and efficient development of hydrocarbon resources is the need for a land use framework that minimizes uncertainty regarding where development activities can be pursued.”
“By not consulting Yukoners and not identifying other important land uses before putting the rights to Yukon’s oil and gas basins up for sale, the government will only create uncertainty for the oil and gas industry,” stated Thompson. “Or worse, it could lead to long-term conflicts between conservationists and industry as occurred when Amoco planned to develop in Alberta’s unique Whaleback region.”
For more information, please contact:
Justin Thompson
CPAWS-Yukon
Telephone: 867-393-8080
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