Heated debate over frozen gas off B.C. coast

It doesn't look much like fuel, but a glacier of frozen gas at the bottom of the ocean off British Columbia could one day provide Canada with a major source of energy.

The deposit of methane hydrate, or frozen gas, came to light early last month when a fishing crew pulled up a chunk of the material in their nets.

Scientists using a mini-submersible later found the deposit, about 75 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Large chunks of the material are sitting in about 850 metres of water.

"There's likely enough methane and natural gas out there to satisfy energy reserves in Canada for about 40 years," said Dr. Ross Chapman, of the University of Victoria.

Debate already beginning

But there's a catch. Scientists have yet to find a good way to extract the natural gas from the frozen mass. Some industry analysts say it could be decades before a process is in place.

Still, the discovery has already set off a fight over what to do next.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says the government is set to lift a moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration.

"I don't want anyone to think this is going to happen overnight," he said, "but there is an enormous prize there that every British Columbian can benefit from."

• FROM NOV. 30, 2001: Scientists probe frozen stores of Arctic gas

But environmentalists and First Nations groups are uneasy.

Greenpeace says governments and industry should do more to develop renewable energy sources instead or promoting offshore development.

And the B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs warns that they must be consulted before any development can go ahead.

"The courts are instructing both the federal and provincial governments that these decisions need to be taken seriously and both levels of government have to implement legislation and policies so that our economic interests are accommodated," said union member Chief Stewart Phillip.