August 26, 2004 for immediate release

The University of Northern British Columbia today released the first in a series of publications on BC offshore oil and gas.

"Under Currents 1: A Citizen's Guide" offers a plain language summaryof the Royal Society of Canada's Report of the Expert Panel on ScienceIssues Related to Oil and Gas Activities, Offshore British Columbia.The Royal Society Panel was formed at the request of Natural ResourcesCanada to investigate scientific issues related to the possibleresumption of offshore oil and gas activities in the Queen CharlotteBasin, off the coast of BC. The panel's report was published inFebruary 2004 following a series of public hearings and workshops inthe fall of 2003.

The release of "Under Currents 1" marks the start of the "UNBCCommunity Collaborative Studies on British Columbia Offshore Oil andGas" series, a project of UNBC's Northern Land Use Institute, NorthernCoastal Information and Research Program (NCIRP). Research conductedthrough NCIRP will add substantially to the understanding of BCoffshore oil and gas issues.

"No other recent studies on offshore oil and gas have involved as muchparticipation, collaboration and input from residents of the QueenCharlotte Basin." says NCIRP Program Manager Norman Dale. "With theinformation and research contained in this series of publications, wehope to facilitate better understanding and wide public discussion ofthe issues surrounding offshore oil and gas activities,"

The NCIRP publications will allow the people of BC, and specificallyresidents of the Queen Charlotte Basin, to better inform themselves andtake a greater role in discussions and decision-making around offshoreoil and gas.

Funding for NCIRP was provided by the Ministry of Energy and Mines,Province of British Columbia. This financial support has enabled theresearch and publication of the "UNBC Community Collaborative Studies"series, and has allowed communities in the Queen Charlotte Basin to beengaged in discussing the issues surrounding offshore oil and gasactivities.

Copies of "Under Currents 1" can be downloaded fromwww.unbc.ca/nlui/ncirp or ordered at cost ($4) from Peggy Crough: fax(250) 960-5545 email croughp@unbc.ca.