Latest news with #BCEnvironmentalAssessmentOffice
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Prince Rupert gas pipeline cleared to keep environmental permit indefinitely
Prince Rupert gas pipeline cleared to keep environmental permit indefinitely The Prince Rupert gas pipeline project is 'substantially started' and will keep its valid environmental certificate for the life of the pipeline, the BC Environmental Assessment Office has ruled. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline is jointly owned by the Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG, but other First Nations and environmentalists say the decision favours corporate interests over climate commitments and Indigenous rights. Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, said the decision was not unexpected, but still 'damaging and daunting.' She said the province frequently bends or breaks its own laws and regulations to accommodate PRGT, undermining the integrity of the environmental review process. 'This is absolutely not in the interests of Gitanyow and many other nations who have expressed concern,' Marsden said. 'It's going to be a significant reversal of the climate policy of this government.' The BC government has legislated targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But according to critics, pursuing additional LNG and pipeline projects will undercut any progress made by adding significant new emissions that were not considered in the province's climate plans. Marsden said the government is acting without responsibility, forcing First Nations to fight in court because it doesn't respect consultation, Indigenous rights, UNDRIP or true consent — and the decision was politically and economically driven, not based on policy, law or sound science. 'This government can now do whatever it pleases with no accountability,' Marsden said. 'First Nations are left to fight for these things on the ground and in the courts.' She said the report by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) — the agency tasked with technical review — was 'very slim,' noting that Gitanyow's own submission was likely twice as long. Janelle Lapointe, senior advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation and member of Stellat'en First Nation, said the approval casts significant doubt on the province's willingness to meet its climate targets, respect Indigenous rights and title, and even follow its own policy on determining whether a project has had a 'substantial start.' The keyword — substantial start — is critical because under BC's Environmental Assessment Act, a project's environmental certificate will expire unless enough real, physical work has been completed on the ground before a set deadline — in this case, November 25, 2024. According to the EAO report , the PRGT pipeline was considered 'substantially started' because the company cleared 42 km of pipeline route, built nine permanent bridges, upgraded or built 47 km of access roads, and set up work areas before the deadline. The company also spent about $584 million on the project since 2013. The concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions and incomplete permits were not part of the decision and was mainly based on the physical work completed on the ground. 'If PRGT was really a good project, it wouldn't need a decade-old permit, quiet approvals, and a government bending the rules to push it through,' Lapointe said. She said since the original environmental assessment certificate was issued in 2014, lands, waterways, and ecology have only become more vulnerable due to continued extraction, corporate greed, and the accelerating effects of climate change. Lapointe said the project will cross hundreds of fish-bearing streams and rivers in a watershed that her community depends on. The government is again refusing to ensure the project won't harm their ecosystems, especially salmon — a key species important to their culture and vital to the local economy, she said. 'The province has failed to address the concerns of the Indigenous nations asserting their rights to protect our territory. It sets a very dangerous precedent,' Lapointe said. She pointed out that newly passed Bill 15 and the PRGT approval highlight a troubling trend — the provincial government is making it easier for corporations to move projects forward, while making it difficult for Indigenous nations to exercise their rights and oppose developments that threaten their territories. 'Are they going to allow outdated permits from 2014 to be treated as more legitimate than the rights of sovereign nations? I am left wondering, why is our province bending over backwards to hand over critical energy infrastructure to American billionaires?' Lapointe said. Christina Smethurst, communications head at Dogwood BC, a Victoria-based non-profit, non-partisan citizen action group, said while the EAO issued the approval, there has been no clear public statement or ownership from elected government officials about the decision, with significant environmental, Indigenous rights and economic implications. 'The BC NDP have abandoned any semblance of caring about climate change,' Smethurst said. 'Where is the government on this? Who of our elected officials will take responsibility for making this decision?' Marsden said Gitanyow is preparing legal and other actions, and the fight to protect their lands will continue. Lapointe said they would follow Gitanyow's lead in the ongoing opposition to the pipeline. Marsden also challenged the narrative that this project would help Canada's energy independence. 'This isn't about getting out from under the thumb of Americans. It's actually about enriching people who are in Trump's inner circle,' Marsden said. Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
National Observer
3 days ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Prince Rupert gas pipeline cleared to keep environmental permit indefinitely
The Prince Rupert gas pipeline project is 'substantially started' and will keep its valid environmental certificate for the life of the pipeline, the BC Environmental Assessment Office has ruled. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline is jointly owned by the Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG, but other First Nations and environmentalists say the decision favours corporate interests over climate commitments and Indigenous rights. Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, said the decision was not unexpected, but still 'damaging and daunting.' She said the province frequently bends or breaks its own laws and regulations to accommodate PRGT, undermining the integrity of the environmental review process. 'This is absolutely not in the interests of Gitanyow and many other nations who have expressed concern,' Marsden said. 'It's going to be a significant reversal of the climate policy of this government." The BC government has legislated targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But according to critics, pursuing additional LNG and pipeline projects will undercut any progress made by adding significant new emissions that were not considered in the province's climate plans. Marsden said the government is acting without responsibility, forcing First Nations to fight in court because it doesn't respect consultation, Indigenous rights, UNDRIP or true consent — and the decision was politically and economically driven, not based on policy, law or sound science. 'This is absolutely not in the interests of Gitanyow and many other nations who have expressed concern,' Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs. 'It's going to be a significant reversal of the climate policy." 'This government can now do whatever it pleases with no accountability,' Marsden said. 'First Nations are left to fight for these things on the ground and in the courts.' She said the report by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) — the agency tasked with technical review — was 'very slim,' noting that Gitanyow's own submission was likely twice as long. Janelle Lapointe, senior advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation and member of Stellat'en First Nation, said the approval casts significant doubt on the province's willingness to meet its climate targets, respect Indigenous rights and title, and even follow its own policy on determining whether a project has had a 'substantial start.' The keyword — substantial start — is critical because under BC's Environmental Assessment Act, a project's environmental certificate will expire unless enough real, physical work has been completed on the ground before a set deadline — in this case, November 25, 2024. According to the EAO report, the PRGT pipeline was considered 'substantially started' because the company cleared 42 km of pipeline route, built nine permanent bridges, upgraded or built 47 km of access roads, and set up work areas before the deadline. The company also spent about $584 million on the project since 2013. The concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions and incomplete permits were not part of the decision and was mainly based on the physical work completed on the ground. 'If PRGT was really a good project, it wouldn't need a decade-old permit, quiet approvals, and a government bending the rules to push it through,' Lapointe said. She said since the original environmental assessment certificate was issued in 2014, lands, waterways, and ecology have only become more vulnerable due to continued extraction, corporate greed, and the accelerating effects of climate change. Lapointe said the project will cross hundreds of fish-bearing streams and rivers in a watershed that her community depends on. The government is again refusing to ensure the project won't harm their ecosystems, especially salmon — a key species important to their culture and vital to the local economy, she said. 'The province has failed to address the concerns of the Indigenous nations asserting their rights to protect our territory. It sets a very dangerous precedent,' Lapointe said. She pointed out that newly passed Bill 15 and the PRGT approval highlight a troubling trend — the provincial government is making it easier for corporations to move projects forward, while making it difficult for Indigenous nations to exercise their rights and oppose developments that threaten their territories. 'Are they going to allow outdated permits from 2014 to be treated as more legitimate than the rights of sovereign nations? I am left wondering, why is our province bending over backwards to hand over critical energy infrastructure to American billionaires?' Lapointe said. Christina Smethurst, communications head at Dogwood BC, a Victoria-based non-profit, non-partisan citizen action group, said while the EAO issued the approval, there has been no clear public statement or ownership from elected government officials about the decision, with significant environmental, Indigenous rights and economic implications. "The BC NDP have abandoned any semblance of caring about climate change,' Smethurst said. "Where is the government on this? Who of our elected officials will take responsibility for making this decision?' Marsden said Gitanyow is preparing legal and other actions, and the fight to protect their lands will continue. Lapointe said they would follow Gitanyow's lead in the ongoing opposition to the pipeline. Marsden also challenged the narrative that this project would help Canada's energy independence. 'This isn't about getting out from under the thumb of Americans. It's actually about enriching people who are in Trump's inner circle,' Marsden said.
Hamilton Spectator
25-04-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
BC backtracks on LNG ‘net-zero' carbon pollution rules
The BC government's quiet rollback of carbon pollution rules for proposed LNG projects undermines provincial net-zero promises, says a Green Party MLA. Last month, Adrian Dix, minister of energy and climate solutions, made changes to the liquified natural gas (LNG) approval process, which were listed in a letter sent to the BC Environmental Assessment Office. Previously, LNG projects moving through the approvals pipeline required a credible plan for net-zero emissions by 2030. However, now proposed LNG projects only have to 'provide a credible plan' to reach net-zero if they aren't plugged into BC's electrical grid by that date, providing a loophole for them to pollute, said Jeremy Valeriote, Green MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky. The change is a significant backtrack by the ministry because it lets companies off the hook if they claim electricity isn't available, and allows them to generate emissions indefinitely, he said. The move also 'defies logic' if the province is actually committed to meeting its emissions targets. The Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions did not respond to Canada's National Observer questions about how BC can meet its climate targets, or reduce emissions at all, if LNG projects are permitted to generate huge amounts of carbon pollution indefinitely. In an email, the ministry said Dix's letter with the new instructions to the EAO, 'is a clarification of existing policy, not a change.' LNG proponents are still expected to reduce emissions unrelated to electrical power such as gas flaring or transportation. 'Net-zero by 2030 remains the standard for LNG facilities, but we recognize that access to clean electricity will take time,' the email said. 'Proponents will not be penalized for factors beyond their control.' Valeriote sees it differently. 'It's just pandering to industry,' Valeriote said. 'If companies can't meet those rules, that's not the government or the public of British Columbia's problem.' It's not up to taxpayers to pay for and provide electrical resources for the fossil fuel companies, Valeriote said — nor is it fair if the public must shoulder the burden of any resulting pollution if they don't. The coastal LNG export projects need access to clean electricity, instead of burning natural gas to eliminate the large volumes of carbon pollution created during the energy-intensive liquefaction process , which sees natural gas chilled into a fluid for easy transport by ship to overseas markets. It's unlikely the province will have the electrical supply needed to power LNG plants with clean energy by 2030, said Matt Hulse, a lawyer with the legal charity Ecojustice. Over the next decade, BC Hydro is spending $4.7 billion in public funds in Northern BC — expanding the grid to clean up carbon pollution from the natural gas Industry, LNG plants, mining and powering ports with clean energy. One of the largest projects, the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) from Prince George to Terrace, is slated for completion in 2032. The electrical gap means gas-powered LNG facilities can generate millions of tonnes of climate pollution beyond 2030, if power from the grid is not available, Hulse said. For example, the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG project is expected to produce 1.8 million tonnes emissions yearly if not powered by electricity — not including the upstream and downstream emissions associated with the facility, he said. Close to 90 per cent of Ksi Lisims carbon pollution is generated from powering the plant. Annually, the pollution from that project is anticipated to be the equivalent to 10 per cent of BC's total industrial emissions generated in 2023. Aside from lacking the power supply for LNG projects, the province doesn't provide clear timelines for its availability, which undermines government claims of 'clean LNG,' Hulse said. 'Even if LNG facilities are electrified, you can't call them 'net zero,'' he said. 'It's still a fossil fuel, and you can't just ignore the upstream fracking emissions and the downstream combustion that happens elsewhere.' BC residents will continue to pay the price of burning LNG overseas in the form of disasters like floods, wildfires and drought even if the emissions aren't included in the province's tally sheet, he noted. 'We'll still feel the climate impacts here — regardless of where the emissions are counted.' Valeriote said BC emissions targets and CleanBC climate plan are largely 'aspirational' and lack any measures that have demonstratively reduced carbon pollution to date. The Greens are sitting down with the province to review and shape a more accountable, enforceable CleanBC strategy better aligned with the public's interests, he said. 'We need to review the subsidies and the support we give to some of these industries,' he said. 'We should be spending public money on renewable energy rather than natural gas and methane. Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer
