B.C. natural-gas firm EnCana offers big reward to catch vandals

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Canadian energy company EnCana is offering a cash reward of up to $408,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution in bombings of its facilities in northeastern British Columbia.

Four EnCana natural-gas well sites have been targeted since October.

EnCana Vice President Mike Graham said Tuesday the safety of workers and the people who live in the communities is of paramount importance.

The latest incident took place Jan. 4 when a metering shed near Tomslake was damaged.

Royal Canadain Mounted Police Sgt. Tim Shields said there is a group of people in Tomslake, 600 miles northeast of Vancouver, who are being uncooperative with police. Police believe whoever is responsible lives in the area.

They hope the size of the reward will flush those people out.

Shields said several letters sent to area newspapers indicated whoever is behind the bombings has a grievance with EnCana.

"We will not negotiate with terrorists which you are as you keep endangering out [sic] families with crazy expansion of deadly gas wells in our home lands," the Oct. 11 letter said.

The first explosion was the following day.

The first three explosions last October involved pipelines or wellheads carrying sour gas, which contains toxic hydrogen sulfide.

Graham said security at company facilities remained high.

Provincial cabinet Minister Blair Lekstrom said it's only a matter of time before someone is injured if the explosions continue. Graham said EnCana drills about 5,000 wells a year.