The British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources estimates that the Klappan coal deposit could contain as much as 8.1 trillion cubic feet (230 km3) of coalbed methane gas.
On July 27, 2007, a group of 13 environmental non-governmental organizations wrote a letter to Shell's executives in the Hague, urging them to suspend drilling plans in the Sacred Headwaters.
Signatories to the letter include Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth International, ForestEthics, Sierra Club, and the David Suzuki Foundation.
[4] On December 13, the government of British Columbia ended the prospect of natural gas development in the region as part of a tripartite agreement with the Tahltan and Shell.
It acknowledged that the Klappan has been identified by the Tahltan as having significant cultural, spiritual and social values, and also includes the vital salmon-bearing Skeena, Nass and Stikine rivers.