Citizens Concerned About Coal Bed Methane - Bulkley Valley, British Columbia

cbm facts

The following document provides a good overview of the coalbed methane industry and its impacts:

Coalbed Methane: A Citizen's Guide (West Coast Environmental Law)

Coalbed methane is gas trapped in coal deposits. It is the same type of gas you might burn in your kitchen range. However, unlike conventional natural gas, getting coalbed methane out of the ground is a risky business and can have a negative impacts on land and water.

There is currently no coalbed methane production in B.C. In 2003, the Union of BC Municipalities passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on CBM development.

CBM extraction

To extract coalbed methane, numerous wells must be drilled into the coal deposit. Because coalbed methane is usually spread out over a large area, more wells are typically required than for conventional gas development. British Columbia law does not limit the density of coalbed methane wells.

Here's what a coalbed methane field looks like from the air.

Here's a schematic diagram of a coalbed methane well.

A network of roads, pipelines and compressor stations are necessary to connect the wells.

Download Karen Campbell's Powerpoint presentation: Seven questions to answer before proceeding with coalbed methane in the Bulkley Valley (1.6Mb)

"Produced water"

When a developer drills a well to extract the gas, a lot of water comes with. This water, called "produced water" by the industry, often contains high salt levels and occasionally heavy metals. It is considered wastewater under federal law. Disposal of this wastewater can have disastrous consequences for agricultural land, drinking water supply, and fish and wildlife.

In B.C., the disposal of produced water is governed by the Produced Water Code of Practice, which is enforced by the Oil and Gas Commission.

West Coast Environmental Law's checklist for Produced Water Code of Practice

Methane in drinking water

Drilling and "fraccing" (a process used to increase the flow of gas underground) can lead to methane seeping into drinking water aquifers.

Coalbed Methane Sparks Debate: Who's to Blame for Gassy Water? (Pembina Institute)

Tainted water lights fire under gas fears (Edmonton Journal, 2005)

Is our water safe? (Albertaviews, October 2006)

CBM and fish

Little is known about the impact of CBM development on fish such as salmon. However, a study conducted in B.C.'s Elk Valley showed that treated wastewater from a CBM test well was fatal to rainbow trout.

CBM and your private land

If a company wants to drill for coalbed methane on your private land, there is nothing you can do to stop them. This is because as a landowner, you own the surface rights, not the rights to sub-surface minerals and gases.

Interior farmer fumes over sale of rights to methane on his land (Victoria Times Colonist, Oct. 22, 2004)

CBM in other places

The coalbed methane industry has a poor track record elsewhere in North America.

In Wyoming's Powder River Basin, where there are now some 14,000 wells, coalbed methane development has contaminated ranchers' water supplies, degraded agricultural land, and industrialized a previously rural landscape.

When the industry moved into Alberta, residents were promised the Wyoming experience would not be repeated. However, Alberta landowners are now having many of the same problems.

Unconventional Gas: The Environmental Challenges of Coalbed Methane Development in Alberta-FULL REPORT

When the land man wears lipstick (Western Producer, 2004)

CBM and private land

Because under law private land owners hold only the surface rights to their properties, there is nothing to stop coalbed methane companies such as Outrider Energy from drilling for gas on your private land. While land owners can negotiate compensation, such payments are often minimal when considering the land degradation associated with CBM development

Studies have shown CBM development causes private land values to drop. A study in La Plata Colorado showed a 20 percent drop in value for property with wells on it, while an Alberta study showed a 10 percent drop in property values in the vicitinity of CBM development.

Land owners should read the important document below to learn more about oil and gas on private land.

When the Landman Comes Knocking: A Toolkit for BC Landowners Living with Oil and Gas (West Coast Environmental Law)