In British Columbia’s Peace River region, farming families and First Nations are witnessing an unprecedented rush on water resources, a rush driven by energy corporations that need copious amounts of water to produce natural gas.

Last year, Bob and Terry Webster got a firsthand taste for just what the water rush means. It’s left them and many of their neighbors wondering what the future holds for the region they call home, and for one of our most precious natural resources.
The Websters own a buffalo farm on Berryl Prairie, west of Hudson’s Hope and a short distance from Williston Lake, the reservoir in the north central region of the province created by the building of the WAC Bennett dam.

For the first time, a scientific study has linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire.

The peer-reviewed study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, stands to shape the contentious debate over whether drilling is safe and begins to fill an information gap that has made it difficult for lawmakers and the public to understand the risks.

Gasland the movie - 7PM - The Arts Station - March 21 2011

"The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown."

It's not exactly the moratorium that thousands of citizens had asked for, but shalegas operations in Quebec are going to be severely curtailed for the next year, perhaps longer, Environment Minister Pierre Arcand said yesterday following the publication of a much-anticipated report into the future of the shalegas industry in Quebec.

An in-depth strategic environmental assessment - which could take up to two years - will be conducted into the impact of shale-gas drilling, Arcand told reporters in Montreal. It will look into issues such as the treatment of waste-water from drilling sites, and the "harmonious coexistence" of citizens and the industry, he said.

Today in Smithers Carole James emphasized her commitment to protecting watersheds, communities and rivers from Gordon Campbell’s plan to allow reckless development of coalbed methane, says Troy Sebastian, the NDP candidate in Kootenay East.

“Gordon Campbell doesn’t listen to the concerns of communities,” said Sebastian, “and the Liberal candidate can’t be trusted to stand up for our communities, he’s just one of Campbell’s yes men.”

The issue of coalbed methane drilling sparked protest in Fernie. The Fernie city council has signed on to Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane’s plan for safer CBM.

A coalition of citizens’ groups has launched a province-wide campaign around a five-point action plan they say could end the current stalemate on coalbed methane development.

“Across B.C., coalbed methane projects are being delayed or stopped by local conflict because residents lack confidence in the province’s approval process and regulations,” said Ted Ralfe, spokesperson for CCCBM-East Kootenay. “The action plan we’re proposing is a way to restore public confidence and create a more certain investment climate for companies.”

The coalition, Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane, released its five-point plan on a new website, www.concernedaboutcbm.org. The plan, “Building a safe future for CBM,” calls for the following –