GUARDIAN
  • About
  • Watch the Trailer
  • RENT
  • SCREENINGS & AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • PRESS
  • Contact

STAY INFORMED
​on the state of
science & fisheries
in Canada


Inadequate environmental impact assessments and crippled environmental legislation are still governing the fate of the Canadian landscape--but that could soon change.

Despite Justin Trudeau's inaugural promise to reinvest in ocean science, restore the scientific capability of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and use scientific evidence in environmental decision-making, liquefied natural gas projects continue to be approved without the amendments to environmental legislation Trudeau promised three years ago.

That being said, not all is lost. Amendments to the Fisheries Act and a newly-proposed Impact Assessment Act are currently being discussed in the Senate. Proposed amendments were introduced in February 2018 and passed the House of Commons in July 2018.

Soon after his inauguration, Justin Trudeau initiated a review of environmental and regulatory processes in response to rollbacks of environmental legislation under Stephen Harper. Over three years later, these promises may be coming to fruition.

Canada's next election is in October 2019.

$40B LNG project in northern B.C. gets go-ahead

10/2/2018

 
Rhianna Schmunk · CBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2018 1:18 AM PT | Last Updated: October 2

LNG Canada chief executive says it will move 'immediately' into construction

Construction is going ahead on a massive, $40-billion liquefied natural gas project in northern B.C., hours after five primary investors from five different countries granted their approval for the joint venture.

The LNG Canada project will see a pipeline carrying natural gas from Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. to a new processing plant on the coast in Kitimat. There, the gas would be liquefied for overseas export.
  • Just the FAQs on LNG Canada

The partners came to their decision at 9:18 p.m. PT on Monday. They are:
  • Royal Dutch Shell.
  • Mitsubishi Corp.
  • The Malaysian-owned Petronas.
  • PetroChina Co.
  • Korean Gas Corp.

On Tuesday, LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said the company is "immediately, today, moving into construction" on the pipeline and plant.

He said project has already obtained all the necessary approvals to break ground, including from the National Energy Board, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Hydro as well as 25 First Nations.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the announcement represents the single largest private sector investment in Canadian history.

"Today is a good day," he said Tuesday.

Political, First Nations leaders reactTrudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan and other leaders held a news conference to make the official project announcement in Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

"It's certainly a great day for northern British Columbia," Horgan said.

"I can't tell you how proud I am. I can't stop smiling."

The B.C. ministries of Finance and Energy have estimated the project would generate $22 billion in direct government revenue over the next 40 years.

The project is also expected to employ as many as 10,000 people in its construction and up to 950 in full-time jobs.

The Kitimat plant will be within the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation. Trudeau thanked that nation, as well as others in B.C., for their "leadership" in getting the project approved.

Crystal Smith, chief councillor of the Haisla Nation, was emotional at Tuesday morning's announcement.

"On behalf of our entire nation, we extend our gratitude … for the investment being made in Haisla territory," she said.

"Haisla … history is unfolding before our eyes. We are having a share and we are having our say."

Environmental factorsTo help make the project happen, Horgan's government offered a break on the carbon tax as well as an exemption on provincial sales tax related to construction costs.

According to information provided by the province, LNG Canada would be the least greenhouse gas-intensive large LNG facility in the world.

B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver was skeptical the project would mesh with the province's climate plan.

Under the NDP and Greens' Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA), the parties committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 40 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

In a statement, Weaver called the LNG announcement a "profound disappointment," saying his party would not support the LNG legislation that would be required.
Horgan's minority NDP government is supported in the legislature by the B.C. Green Party​.
  • Job creation and lingering activism: political experts weigh in on LNG tax breaks
  • LNG, referendum set to dominate B.C. fall session
    ​
History of LNG in B.C.On Tuesday, Horgan acknowledged that the first discussions on LNG in B.C. began with a pitch for a plant in Prince Rupert in 1982.

He also acknowledged the previous B.C. Liberal government, specifically former minister Rich Coleman, for "tirelessly" lobbying for the project from 2011 onward.

In a Facebook post, Christy Clark, premier from 2011 to 2017 who helped lead the charge for the project, said Tuesday was "the single best day of my professional life."
"This is an achievement for our whole country," she wrote.
  • Kitimat house prices starting to soar with LNG anticipation

Since her election defeat in 2017, Clark has retired from politics and joined the law firm Bennett Jones as a senior adviser in Vancouver. She has also since been appointed to the board of directors for Shaw Communications.

With files from The Canadian Press.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2Iz5i1obit.ly/2Iz5i1o

Comments are closed.

    THIS BLOG ...

    is an archive of news on science and environmental legislation in Canada with a particular focus on marine and freshwater ecosystems and LNG.

    Archives

    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All
    Bill C-48
    Bill C 68
    Bill C 69
    British Columbia
    Canada
    Climate Change
    Convention On Biological Diversity
    DFO
    Environmental Legislation
    Fisheries Act
    Fish Populations
    House Of Commons
    Impact Assessment Act
    IUCN
    LNG
    Marine Protected Areas
    Marine Refuges
    National Energy Board
    Salmon

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • About
  • Watch the Trailer
  • RENT
  • SCREENINGS & AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • PRESS
  • Contact