Fort Liard (Mar 24/06) - Mining isn’t something Fort Liard is all that interested in according to Chief Harry Deneron.

This stance came in response to news that a company has purchased the rights to 43,353 acres of coal licences about 64 km northwest of his community.

West Hawk Development Corp. is interested the Mattson formation and Sawmill Mountain near Fort Liard, as well as three other deposits further up the Mackenzie Valley near Tulita, which together are estimated to contain 1.9 billion tonnes of coal.

Looking at the historical track record of mining operations around the North, Deneron said mining may not be welcomed. “They always leave a mess behind and they always disappear,” he said.

West Hawk is anxious to dispel the myths surrounding coal mining and plans to begin by meeting with Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche next week and plans to sit down with First Nations chiefs before doing any field work in the next six to 18 months.

“We’re totally committed to working with aboriginal governments,” said West Hawk vice-president Robert Findlay, adding the firm has a proven track record of building partnerships with the First Nations located near its holdings in B.C.

“There’s no point in poking a hole in the ground until you have their support.”

West Hawk’s plans are still very premature, but he said South African energy giant Sasol is looking for partners to build a $5 billion coal gasification instillation somewhere in the world.

“They’re after us to get a 20-tonne bulk sample from these Northern deposits as soon as possible,” he said, adding the amount of coal in the NWT properties is of a world-class size. “There’s potentially a lot of money at stake for First Nations.”

If such a facility did advance, he said the coal would be heated under pressure and turned into what’s referred to as “syngas.” Then it can be refined further and even turned into a liquid.

“Strategically these deposits are located close to the proposed pipeline route,” he said. “This is proven technology that’s used all over the world ... it’s just new to Canada.”

The oil and gas industry has been Fort Liard’s main focus for development and Deneron isn’t sure there is any reason to change that now.

“Gas is pretty well here to stay,” said Deneron.

The community has been concentrating on oil and gas since 1993.

Residents currently have all the work they can handle with the oil and gas projects, he said, adding he would have to see exactly what the company is proposing before making final comments about the project.