Two B.C. Liberal cabinet ministers were forced to acknowledge an LNG fact they’d rather not this week — the plants will have a “significant adverse effect” on provincial greenhouse-gas emissions. Natural Gas Minister Rich Coleman and Environment Minister Mary Polak formally recognized that fact in their official declaration of reasons why they granted the environmental approval to LNG Canada for a big plant near Kitimat.
The provincial Environmental Assessment Office, which handled the review for both B.C. and Canada, imposed numerous conditions that the ministers said “give us confidence to conclude” that the project would be built, operated and eventually decommissioned so that no significant adverse effects are likely to occur, “except with respect to GHG emissions.”
But even with that acknowledged, the ministers concluded: “The benefits accruing to the public interest from the project outweigh the significant adverse effect to GHG emissions.” That’s the same conclusion, for the same reason, that the ministers reached last November on the Pacific NorthWest LNG plant, sited near Prince Rupert. Proponents there have declared their intention to proceed, subject to a federal environmental approval and provincial legislative approval of the project development agreement — expected next month.
Les Leyne – Times Colonist – June 20, 2015.
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