TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – The provincial government of British Columbia on Monday issued a temporary order under Section 7 of the Environment and Land Use Act to defer decisions on permits and permit amendments related to existing coal tenures in the Klappan until December 1.

Last year September, the Tahltan Nation and government started the Klappan Strategic Initiative, aimed at developing a shared vision for land and resource use in the Klappan.

In December, government issued the Klappan Coal Licence Deferral Area Order, deferring decisions on any new coal licences until December 1, while the Tahltan Nation and government took the time to consider what activities were appropriate in the Klappan. This order did not affect existing coal tenures.

The provincial government noted that through the Klappan Strategic Initiative, the Tahltan Nation had clearly stated its position that existing coal tenures must be included in any discussions to potentially develop a provincially designated protected area in the Klappan.

“Given the position of the Tahltan Nation, government determined it would be appropriate to defer decisions on permits and permit amendments for existing coal tenures while discussions regarding the potential development of a provincially designated protected area in the Klappan are ongoing,” government said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

British Columbia's main coalfields lie in the east of the province, in East Kootenay and Peace River. But one key area yet to be tapped is Klappan, in the north-west. This region hosts anthracite, which has several industrial uses.

Project developer Fortune Minerals’ Arctos anthracite project, which had been the subject of opposition from some Tahltan Nation members, was one of the first movers in the area. However, the company’s summer 2013 drilling, surveying and monitoring campaign for environmental assessment was voluntarily ended in September after a Tahltan group entered the project’s camp to protest.