B.C. Ready To Support Ocean Power
British Columbia is preparing to make a push to become a leading proponent of ocean energy resource development, B.C. Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom said at the Globe 2010 conference in Vancouver. Lekstrom said he hopes to present the Clean Energy Act to the legislature this spring and have it passed into law in early June. "It is really a collaboration, this piece of legislation, that will bring all of our opportunities in clean energy development to the forefront. It will include most definitely ocean renewables. See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

BC Hydro Selects 19 Projects in
First Stage of Clean Power Call
After it received proposals from 43 proponents for 68 clean energy projects, BC Hydro announced the results of its 2008 Clean Power Call. In the first stage of awards, BC Hydro selected 19 projects for electricity purchase agreements (EPA's) comprising 2,450 GWh/year being less than half of the 5,000 GWh/year acquisition target it had requested from developers in the 2008 Clean Power Call. See the Full Report by Warren Brazier of Clark Wilson.

Coal, Caribou and Consultation – Court
Directs Accommodation in Treaty 8 Region
In a recent decision, the B.C. Supreme Court examined the meaning of the treaty right to hunt for caribou in the context of a proposed coal exploration program in the Treaty 8 area of northeastern B.C. The Court ordered a stay of provincial exploration permits for 90 days and ordered the Crown, in consultation with the West Moberly First Nations (West Moberly), to proceed expeditiously to put in place a reasonable, active plan for the protection and augmentation of a local caribou herd. See the Full Report by Caroline Findlay and Janice Walton at Blakes.

Copper Mountain gets Crucial Mines Permit
The Copper Mountain mine project near Princeton is poised to become British Columbia's first major new metals mine to open in more than a decade. The $438-million open-pit copper project got final approval from the B.C. mines ministry recently and is now targeting June 2011 for full production, Copper Mountain investor relations director Don Graham said in an interview. See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

BC Introduces Zero Net Deforestation Act to
Encourage Carbon Storage Offsets
Bill 5 was introduced to enshrine in legislation the government's goal of zero net deforestation in BC by December 31, 2015 which would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Act defines deforestation, provides for reporting on net deforestation and allows for regulations establishing: the timing, form and content of reports and records, and a scientifically-based methodology for calculating deforestation and afforestation. See the Full Article by Angeline S.B. Nyce at Davis.

Forests And Range Statutes Amendment Act Introduced
Bill 7 introduces changes to the scaling provisions of the Forest Act to encourage utilization of low-grade timber and wood waste for bioenergy purposes. Previously only timber could be scaled, but under the changes, bioenergy products such as wood chips also can be scaled by either volume or weight. Other amendments clarify rules for redetermining stumpage rates, and clarify the mechanism to be used for partitioning allowable annual cuts. In addition, amendments to the Wildfire Act improve wildfire protection by extending the period for prosecution for human-caused fires and improving the process by which forest companies can recover costs when they support provincial wildfire suppression efforts. See the News Release.

China's Growing Appetite for Quality B.C. Wood
China's appetite for British Columbia lumber grew at a record pace in 2009 in volume and value, providing sawmillers here with a needed new market to counter stumbling American demand. Lumber exports to China hit 1.63 million board feet in 2009, more than twice the volume shipped in 2008. Those exports generated $327 million in revenues, a 70-per-cent increase over 2008. See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Water Act Amendments
Bill 4, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, recently brought into force amendments to the Water Act which provide for more reliable analysis of groundwater quality. These amendments provide efficiencies, improve effectiveness and enhance client service. See the News Release.

Modernizing the Water Act
The Ministry of Environment has embarked on the ambitious task of modernizing the provincial Water Act. Brought into force over 100 years ago, the Water Act is the principle law for managing the diversion and use of provincial water resources. To facilitate input, government has developed a discussion paper and organized a series of workshops across the province. The paper proposes options and solutions for discussion at these workshops whose primary objective is to share information, discuss principles for a new Water Act and explore proposals for change. Future workshops will be held in Smithers (April 13), Nelson (April 16), Ft St. John (April 20), and Vancouver (April 21). The closing date for submissions is April 30, 2010. See the Full article as reported by COFI.

Canada and British Columbia Sign Agreement to Address Climate Change
Canada's Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, and British Columbia's Minister of State for Climate Change, John Yap, recently signed an Agreement in Principle on efforts to address Climate Change. The federal government is working closely with provinces and territories to ensure that efforts to fight climate change reinforce one another to the greatest possible extent. See the News Release from Environment Canada.