Policy & Positions Manual
Policy Priority Area - A Vibrant Resource Sector
British Columbia: A Carbon-Rich Province (2008)
BC is blessed with an abundance of carbon based energy resources (petroleum, natural gas, coal bed methane and coal), representing enormous wealth potential for the people of BC. The largest of those carbon energy resources is coal.
Between 1836 and 2001, BC mined a total of 700 million tonnes of coal. The known and estimated coal resource potential in BC exceeds 20 billion tonnes, (Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources) enough coal to satisfy trade demands for centuries at the current rate of extraction.
Recent and emerging provincial policy changes discourage the extraction, utilization, and sale of fossil fuels in BC to the detriment of the provincial economic interest. Turning away from these resources significantly reduces their potential economic value to the people of BC
Commodity price signals are thought to be one way to encourage a more efficient use of our precious resources, and as such, carbon price signals may appropriately draw attention to the globally acknowledged challenge of climate change. The value of our carbon based resources, combined with emission targets, and demonstrated leadership in technology development/deployment will help ensure a sustained economic return to the Province.
THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS
That the Provincial Government:
- undertake initiatives to encourage the scientific discovery of technologies that allow BC’s vast carbon based energy resources, in particular coal and coal bed methane, to be used in an environmentally responsible manner; and
- invest funding to develop a carbon neutral - fossil fuel research and development stream that will deliver technology that can be deployed on a domestic and international basis.
