CONSCIOUS COMPANY: Chevron voluntarily relinquishes offshore permits on Canada’s west coast to preserve wildlife area

Chevron Canada Limited is voluntarily relinquishing 19 offshore oil and gas permits on Canada’s west coast within the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area.

The four reefs in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound are thought to be over 9,000 years old. They are the first discovered living examples of glass sponge reefs, thought to be extinct worldwide, that existed during the Jurassic period. Live glass sponge reefs are unique to Pacific coastal waters.

Glass sponge reefs have intrinsic, ecological and economic value. They provide a link between benthic and pelagic environments and play an important role in marine carbon and nitrogen processing.

These sponges are exceptionally fragile, with skeletons made of silica, or glass. Sponges are easily broken on impact and increased suspended sediments can permanently smother or inhibit the filtration process. The ocean conditions necessary to allow such large reefs to develop are rare, and the fragility of the reefs makes them vulnerable to damage from human activity.

Each sponge may live for over 200 years, and the slow growth and vulnerability of the sponges suggest that recovery from damage may take tens to several hundreds of years. If the skeletons of dead sponges are buried or destroyed, new sponges cannot grow to add stability to the reef.

Chevron is continually assessing its portfolio and has been in communication with Natural Resources Canada since 2020 on the opportunity to contribute to the Government of Canada’s international marine conservation targets,” said Christopher Mazerolle, president of Chevron Canada. “We have been safely and responsibly developing Canada’s onshore and offshore oil and gas resources for 85 years, and remain committed to providing the affordable, ever-cleaner energy Canada needs.”

The relinquished 19 offshore oil and gas permits are an estimated 5,700 square kilometers that overlap portions of federal marine-protected areas offshore British Columbia. The relinquishment of these permits ensures that the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area and the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (MPA) continue to fully count towards the Government of Canada’s international marine conservation targets.

About Chevron Canada:

For 85 years, Chevron Canada has been responsibly developing Canada’s energy resources. We believe affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to achieving a more prosperous and sustainable world.

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Chevron Canada has interests in oil sands projects and shale gas acreage in Alberta as well as exploration, development and production projects offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.  

Chevron Canada takes great pride in providing the affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy needed to improve lives and power the world forward. We aim to grow our traditional oil and gas business, lower the carbon intensity of our operations and grow new lower-carbon businesses in renewable fuels, hydrogen, carbon capture, offsets and other emerging technologies.

More information about Chevron Canada is available at canada.chevron.com.

SOURCE & IMAGES: Chevron Canada Limited, Government of Canada