Chief announces move to open up lands
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
NAHANNI BUTTE (Aug 20/99) - The Nahanni Butte Dene band is opening up its lands to oil and gas exploration, Chief Peter Marcellais announced at the Deh Cho Assembly earlier this month.
Marcellais said representatives from the band have been to Ottawa to meet with Mimi Fortier, director of Northern oil and gas for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
"They gave us their support because the interest is there," he said, adding that the band is about to enter the pre-bid qualifications process.
Fortier said the process is rather preliminary, with just one meeting having taken place with the band to date.
"We're looking forward to a much greater dialogue," she said. "They (the Nahanni Butte band) have done a lot of work themselves. We just have to catch up with them."
The terms and conditions of a call for nominations has to be completed to determine where industry is interested in exploring, she explained. Then it's considered whether those parcels of land will be put out for bids, she said. The consultation process also examines environmental conditions and benefits.
A timeline for when industry would potentially begin developing any product is hard to pin down, she said.
"The consultation period is the lengthy part," she said.
The Nahanni Butte band, like the Acho Dene Koe in Fort Liard, stand to gain plenty of employment opportunities from oil and gas development, according to Fortier.
"The money would stay in the community as opposed to everybody fleeing to other areas where there are more job opportunities," she said.
Deh Cho First Nations (DCFN) Grand Chief Michael Nadli said the DCFN's moratorium on land development, established in August 1997, is still in effect. However, he said Marcellais' announcement wasn't disheartening.
"I'm not disappointed, but I'm surprised that Nahanni Butte has made a decision to open their lands to oil and gas development," said Nadli, who added that there is vast potential for such development across the entire region.
