The Peace River Regional District is softening its tone on fracking for gas near one of its regional parks.
At its April 28 meeting, PRRD directors voted to reverse a previous resolution asking the province not to lease oil and gas rights beneath a parcel that includes Blackfoot Regional Park.
The popular recreation area near Clayhurst was set to be included in B.C.’s oil and gas land sale last September as part of a 2,500-acre parcel stretching across the Peace River.
Directors are concerned about the impact on drilling near Blackfoot Park, which is popular with birdwatchers, boaters and fishers. It is often booked every weekend through the summer months, according to a regional district report. The land also includes a water well owned by the district.
Energy companies acquire drilling licences and subsurface rights at the monthly petroleum disposition. Earlier this year, the regional board moved a resolution asking the natural gas ministry to remove the parcel from the sale, saying they could not support leasing the land without guarantees that surface drilling would not occur in the park.
“This whole thing irritates me tremendously,” said Electoral Area B Director Karen Goodings. “We have one little area that we spent a lot of money on for the residents. (The ministry) refuse to put any caveat in place that says no surface access. They could drill under the park from a distance and not impact the park but they will not do that.”
Late last month, the board withdrew its opposition to sale of the parcel, but only with the caveat that oil and gas companies consult the regional district before any drilling takes place.
Directors said they will insist on no drilling in the park itself, according to the resolution.
Some parcels controversial
The Blackfoot land is one of several controversial parcels that have come up for sale in recent years, including one beneath Swan Lake.
While B.C. prohibits drilling in provincial parks, energy companies can access natural gas and oil thousands of metres beneath those parks through directional drilling. Regional parks are not covered by the ban.
With the current downturn in exploration, it remains to be seen whether the Blackfoot parcel will sell.
Land auction revenues have dropped to new lows amid one of the worst oil and gas downturns in a generation. The February land sale brought in zero dollars—a first for the province.
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