Northwest Institute

Working towards social and ecological sustainability in Northwest British Columbia since 1996

Open letter: Allow public input on Enbridge’s fracked gas pipeline extension application

Open letter: Allow public input on Enbridge’s fracked gas pipeline extension application

The undersigned organizations sent the following letter to Minister George Heyman to express our concern regarding the environmental implications and lack of public input on the decision-making process to extend the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission (WCGT) pipeline certificate. Enbridge Inc.’s application to push the deadline to start building the pipeline for another five years, until November 2029, and the process for granting this extension deserves to be informed by the people and communities who will be impacted.

Download the letter here.

Table of LNG Projects in Northwest BC

A table providing details on proposed Liquified Natural Gas projects in Northwest British Columbia. Last updated July 2023.

Rio Tinto Alcan Environmental Appeal Board Hearing Summaries April - June 2015

The Environmental Appeal Board is hearing an appeal launched by Kitimat residents, Lis Stannus and Emily Toews, of a provincial Ministry of Environment decision to allow Rio Tinto Alcan to increase its sulphur dioxide emissions from its Kitimat aluminum smelter by 55 percent above current permit levels and not require scrubbers on the smelter.

The Hearings are expected to take four weeks. The first two weeks of hearings will be held in Victoria from April 27-May 1 and May 11-15. Then there will be two weeks of hearings in Kitimat from June 1-5 and June 8-12.

Summaries of the hearings will be posted to this page daily.

A Clear Look at BC LNG: Energy security, environmental implications and economic potential

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the west coast of Canada have been heralded as economic salvation for the province of British Columbia.This report by David Hughes undertakes a reality check that reveals several major problems with this narrative, both in the stewardship of finite non-renewable resources by provincial and federal governments, and in the environmental implications of large-scale development.

David Hughes toured Northwest BC in April 2015 and discussed the content of this report with local governments and the public.

BC LNG Myths and Realities Tour with Geoscientist David Hughes

From April 13-17 2015, geoscientist David Hughes travelled from Prince Rupert to Prince George, meeting with local governments and offering public presentations. He shared his analysis of BC's gas supply and what he sees of the province's energy future.

 

LNG Community Dialogue Sessions

The Northwest Institute, in collaboration with West Coast Environmental Law, is pleased to co-host LNG Community Dialogue Sessions throughout Northern BC from December 2014 to March 2015. The dialogue sessions are an opportunity to identify shared values that must be protected when considering LNG projects in Northern BC.

Brochure: What you need to know about Petronas and its impacts on Skeena Salmon

This brochure provides an overview of the impacts that Petronas' proposed Pacific Northwest LNG facility poses to juvenile salmon habitat in the Skeena Estuary. It was created in November 2014 and distributed widely to communities in the Skeena watershed. Download the PDF here (3.2 MB).

Brochure: LNG in Northwest BC

This publication provides an overview of proposed LNG projects in Northwest BC and takes a close look at air pollution in Kitimat/Terrace and salmon impacts in the Skeena Estuary. It was produced in May 2014 and distributed widely across the region from Haida Gwaii to Burns Lake. Download the PDF here (337 KB).

LNG Pipeline and Facility Maps

Maps of the proposed LNG facility locations on the north coast and proposed pipeline routes from north east BC to the coast.

Request for a Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment of BC LNG Proposals

This report and media release from the Northwest Institute and UVic Environmental Law Centre call on the federal and BC Ministers of Environment to establish a Strategic Economic and Environmental Assessment of proposed massive new BC LNG developments.  Acting for the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research, the Centre proposes a careful examination of a dozen or more new LNG proposals, thousands of related new gas wells, the potential for numerous redundant cross-provincial pipelines, and the resulting risks to water, air, fish, grizzly, caribou, and human health.

Report: BC LNG Proposals and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

With an increasing number of LNG projects being announced on B.C.’s coast, it is important to balance the economic arguments of these announcements with the associated risks. The emissions from LNG projects and the impact to B.C.’s climate targets are still unclear, but based on initial modeling done by the Pembina Institute using projected volumes of LNG, it is clear that even modest development will have a material impact to the overall emissions in the province. Three questions are addressed in this memo to provide context to the LNG debate and attempt to quantify the impacts based on currently available information.

Liquefied Natural Gas Fact Sheet

This Northwest Institute publication provides an overview of the Liquefied Natural Gas development process and the LNG projects currently proposed in Northern British Columbia.  For a regularly updated table of proposals please click here.