Our province, indeed our whole continent, is on the verge of a new, cleaner energy future. The technical revolution that has led to the production of vast new supplies of unconventional gas is a truly remark-able achievement, one that will see natural gas finally come to play its long-hoped-for role in our country's energy mix.
These new quantities, at the lower prices they deliver to the market, will once and for all make natural gas a reliable alternative to coal, will pro-vide a source of clean electricity to our neighbours to the east and to many American states, and will propel Western Canada into becoming a globally significant energy superpower.
This new gas source can provide thousands of jobs, billions of dollars of business opportunities and mil-lions of dollars of much-needed government revenues.
The task for British Columbia and its enormous unconventional gas potential is to avoid being placed behind a negative public opinion curve and it's a task that will become increasingly difficult if we don't move soon. And move smartly.
The current technology is proven and used around the world, and other countries are looking to Canadian companies for technology and best practices. Yet we read far too often of questions regarding the environ-mental safety of fracking. Regrettably, some jurisdictions, in Canada and elsewhere, seemingly unsure of the technology, have introduced exploration moratoria that only serve to rein-force the negatives conveyed by such stories.
Our task then is great and our time is short.
The petroleum industry can play a useful role here by presenting both its commitment to best practices and its estimates of what unconventional gas development can mean to the B.C. economy. The industry also will need to continue to work hard to get the governmental approvals required, to help the Crown meet its duties to consult first nations, and to demonstrate sound corporate responsibility.
Government agencies can, through the provision of clear, unbiased and publicly available research about the operations and the impacts of unconventional gas development, provide the public with the information necessary to effectively engage in the debate about the future of this energy source.
This research could usefully focus on these five areas: surface and ground-water protection; air emissions related to volatile organic compounds; green-house gas emissions from the production and transport of natural gas and its methane content; community infrastructure impacts including road damage and waste treatment; and the mapping of subsurface structures to better understand and plan for fracking and subsequent waste water injection.
We need look no further that the recent groundwater research carried out by Geoscience BC for a model of how we might proceed.
The job before us is, admittedly, a tall order but without access to credible science, the debate over our natural gas future will be characterized by bombast, fear and doubt. And we will all lose in that case.
Our government also needs to expedite the development of the LNG infrastructure so that we can tap into a growing LNG market which is going to be otherwise filled in the next few years through long term contracts among competing exporting countries such as Qatar and Australia. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and government should ensure the regulatory processes do not under-mine our ability to compete for this wealth. Revenues from this development are immense and will go a long way toward assisting the challenges we face in health care, education and social services. Too many of us seem okay with losing sight of the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars just waiting to enter government coffers can be lost by holding back industries for no good reason.
John R. Winter is president and CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce.