Not everyone is happy with Ottawa’s approval of LNG plant in BC

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RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – The federal government has given conditional approval to the giant Pacific NorthWest LNG project planned for northwestern BC. But there are 190 legally-binding conditions attached to the approval of what is expected to be one of the largest infrastructure investments in Canadian history.

The $36 billion project near Prince Rupert, led by Petronas of Malaysia, would ship 19 million tonnes a year of liquefied gas to Asia while pumping more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually into the atmosphere.

Premier Christy Clark says the government has gone thorough consultations, but it isn’t possible to please everyone. “I think at some time, governments need to lead. And for us, leadership means moving ahead on projects that are going to be environmentally sound and benefit the people of British Columbia and ensure we are creating jobs and looking after the middle-class in our province.”

The federal government says if the project goes ahead it would create thousands of jobs and add $2.4 billion annually to Canada’s GDP.

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says among the conditions includes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. “As the prime minister has emphasized, the only way to get resources to market in the 21st century is if it can be done sustainably and responsibly.”

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency says that would make the project one the largest single greenhouse gas emitters in Canada. Other conditions are aimed at minimizing effects on fish, fish habitat, marine mammals, wetlands, migratory birds and human health.

Karen Mahon with Stand.earth is worried about the level of carbon emissions in Canada. “How can we be building new infrastructure that hasn’t even come online yet, that will be emitting huge amounts of CO2 and claim to be a climate leader? It just doesn’t make any sense,” she says.

Mahon is expecting massive protests from First Nations, salmon fisherman and local communities. “This decision takes us in exactly the wrong direction and is in complete contradiction to everything we’ve been promised by Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau,” she adds.

BC’s business community is applauding the decision. “This will be the largest private-sector development in our country’s history, and today’s decision is monumental step towards securing not only the future of BC, but could also mean a much-needed boost for the Canadian economy,” says Val Litwin, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “We applaud the federal government for making the right decision for our province and our country today.”

The conditional approval, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the massive LNG project will ever get underway.

Low global oil prices and an increasing supply of natural gas have depressed world prices for LNG, making the economics of the project less certain than when it was first announced in 2013. And not all indigenous peoples in the area are pleased with the decision.

A group of six First Nations from the Skeena corridor says the project “does not meet the test” for respecting indigenous rights and will be challenged in court.

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