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Oil and Gas >
Pre-Tenure Plans > Land Use
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In the early 1980s, the Province of BC
initiated a multi-stakeholder, strategic planning process to resolve
conflicts between resource development and environmental conservation.
Strategic Land Use Planning has been undertaken at both regional and sub-regional levels.
Three regional land use and 11 sub-regional plans have been completed and are now being implemented. An
additional seven sub-regional plans are underway.
The Ministry of Sustainable Resource
Management (MSRM) is responsible for strategic land use planning processes, in
roles ranging from collection and compilation of resource information, to
development of land use plans.
More information on provincial strategic
land use initiatives, planning processes and policies is available on the
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management,
Resource Planning Division,
(formerly the Land Use Coordination Office) website.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) is responsible for implementing strategic land
use plans approved by the MSRM. We support
responsible stewardship of the province's energy resources in land use planning
and management initiatives by:
- ensuring that opportunities for environmentally responsible oil and
gas/geothermal exploration and development are recognized by provincial planning agencies;
- providing resource potential and management information for First Nations treaty negotiations.
This responsibility is carried out by the Petroleum Lands Branch staff in Victoria,
and is achieved through the Oil and Gas Tenure Review (Link to our Rights and
Responsibilities Background page) process and by providing resource and management
information to the Aboriginal Relations Branch.
Operational land use planning is carried out by the Oil and Gas Commission.
Protected Areas Strategy
British Columbia's Protected Areas Strategy
evolved in the early 1990s with two primary goals:
- to protect viable, representative examples of natural diversity in BC; and
- to protect special natural, cultural heritage and recreational heritage features.
Protected areas are managed by the Ministry of Water, Air and Land Protection.
Exploration and development of petroleum,
natural gas and geothermal resources is not permitted within Protected
Areas. An exception to this occurs in several new Protected Areas in
northeast BC, which allow direction drilling with no surface access.
Information Letter EMD99-01 provides additional information, including the
Protected Areas within the northeast that allow directional drilling.
Special Management Zones
Special Management Zones (SMZs) are one category of land use zoning that may be
designated as part of the provincial land use planning process.
Special
Management Zones are areas where the conservation of
one or more resource values, such as wildlife habitat, recreation, or community
watersheds, are recognized as one
of the priorities for resource management. There are no restrictions
on oil and gas and geothermal resource development within Special
Management Zones, provided
that on-the-ground activities follow the objectives and strategies
outlined in the land use plan for that Special
Management Zones. The one exception is for Special
Management Zones within the
Muskwa-Kechika, which require that a pre-tenure plan must be in place prior
to issuing new oil and gas tenures. These pre-tenure plans provide
guidance for operational activities
Last Updated:
June 02, 2006
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