Shell’s plans to renew drilling for Coalbed methane in the Sacred Headwaters of the Stikine, Skeena and Nass watersheds, this winter if possible.

To expedite this Shell plans to go ahead with its now adjourned injunction application sometime in the next few months. In other words Shell will continue to seek authorization for the BC courts to arrest Grandmothers, Mothers and other Tahltan elders and their supporters trying to protect one of earth’s most sacred places.

While Shell’s plans to move bulldozers and backhoes in have been stalled by protectors – and because it failed to meet its prescribed window for in-stream operations imposed to protect fish – it is now considering re-routing the road to avoid the fish bearing waters.

This illustrates Shell is prepared to spend millions of dollars to find out how much coalbed methane lies underneath the Sacred Headwaters. Although BC’s laws make this information confidential for three years, it indicates that the amount of gas found in Shell’s first three test wells must have been substantial.

Shell remains unwilling to provide any information on two important questions:

  1. What is the minimum number of wells (and volume of gas) anticipated for Shell to commercially produce coalbed methane in the Sacred Headwaters?
  2. What potential pipeline routes would Shell use to transport any coalbed methane produced to the existing pipeline network?

Shell’s position remains. Trust us, all we want to do is drill a few test wells. What could be wrong with finding out how much gas exists?

My response is:  Would Shell be as determined to find out how much gas is below the Sistine Chapel? Or the wailing wall in Jerusalem?  

I doubt it!

 Shell doesn’t seem to understand the growing opposition to its plans for the Sacred Headwaters. Almost, 26,000 people have watched the Nigeria North video, hundreds of thousands of Europeans saw the Financial Times ad… nullAnd the alliance of First Nations, community activists and regional, provincial, national and international NGO coming together to join forces to protect the Sacred Headwaters continues to grow.

Wade Davis, noted author, explorer and speaker, eloquently described for Canadians what at stake in a recent Op-ed in the Globe and Mail.

 The campaign to protect the Sacred Headwaters is just getting going. If Shell was smart, they would get out now with their reputation intact.