Chevron Canada on Thursday said it is “voluntarily” relinquishing 19 offshore oil and gas permits on Canada's West Coast after sitting idle for the better part of half a century due to the continuing tanker ban in British Columbia waters.. BC Offshore leases .The leases, which were granted in the late 1960s and early ‘70s lie within the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area. The permits cover an estimated 5,700 square kilometres that overlap portions of federal marine-protected areas offshore British Columbia..In a news release the company said the relinquishment of the permits ensures the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (MPA) continue to fully count towards the Government of Canada's international marine conservation targets..“Chevron is continually assessing its portfolio and has been in communication with Natural Resources Canada since 2020 on the opportunity to contribute to the Government of Canada's international marine conservation targets,” Christopher Mazerolle, Chevron’s Canadian president, said in a statement..“We have been safely and responsibly developing Canada's onshore and offshore oil and gas resources for 85 years, and remain committed to providing the affordable, ever-cleaner energy Canada needs.”.But the real reason has more to do with the existing status quo. Despite its altruistic assertions there had been no active exploration of the West Coast since a ban on tanker traffic was imposed in 1972. That was further reinforced following the ExxonValdez disaster in 1989..In 2018 the waters surrounding the Scott Islands were declared a National Wildlife Reserve, notwithstanding the permits were still technically valid. Exploration permits typically have fixed terms, but these were grandfathered under newer legislation, leaving it to the discretion of the natural resources minister..As recently as last July environmental groups led by the World Wildlife Fund and the David Suzuki Foundation petitioned the federal court to declare the permits expired..Interest in opening coastal waters to tankers ebbed and waned over the years. A federal review panel in 2000 concluded more than 75% of people wanted to keep the ban in place — a factor that played into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to cancel the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and export terminal at Kitimat.
Chevron Canada on Thursday said it is “voluntarily” relinquishing 19 offshore oil and gas permits on Canada's West Coast after sitting idle for the better part of half a century due to the continuing tanker ban in British Columbia waters.. BC Offshore leases .The leases, which were granted in the late 1960s and early ‘70s lie within the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area. The permits cover an estimated 5,700 square kilometres that overlap portions of federal marine-protected areas offshore British Columbia..In a news release the company said the relinquishment of the permits ensures the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (MPA) continue to fully count towards the Government of Canada's international marine conservation targets..“Chevron is continually assessing its portfolio and has been in communication with Natural Resources Canada since 2020 on the opportunity to contribute to the Government of Canada's international marine conservation targets,” Christopher Mazerolle, Chevron’s Canadian president, said in a statement..“We have been safely and responsibly developing Canada's onshore and offshore oil and gas resources for 85 years, and remain committed to providing the affordable, ever-cleaner energy Canada needs.”.But the real reason has more to do with the existing status quo. Despite its altruistic assertions there had been no active exploration of the West Coast since a ban on tanker traffic was imposed in 1972. That was further reinforced following the ExxonValdez disaster in 1989..In 2018 the waters surrounding the Scott Islands were declared a National Wildlife Reserve, notwithstanding the permits were still technically valid. Exploration permits typically have fixed terms, but these were grandfathered under newer legislation, leaving it to the discretion of the natural resources minister..As recently as last July environmental groups led by the World Wildlife Fund and the David Suzuki Foundation petitioned the federal court to declare the permits expired..Interest in opening coastal waters to tankers ebbed and waned over the years. A federal review panel in 2000 concluded more than 75% of people wanted to keep the ban in place — a factor that played into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to cancel the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and export terminal at Kitimat.
