The B.C. government stopped the clock this week on Woodfibre LNG’s 180-day environmental assessment review period, which had been set to end on July 13.
The company requested the temporary suspension just days after Squamish Nation put out a strongly worded press release demanding that 26 environmental conditions be met – “or the project won’t get built.”
The first of Squamish Nation’s five major conditions pertains to an issue of grave concern for many of the project’s critics – the impact on marine life in Howe Sound from heated, chlorinated water that would be released through the facility’s cooling discharge system. The Nation wants greater certainty around the environmental impacts, more information about potential and cumulative impacts on marine life, and detailed information about alternative technologies and their relative impacts.
Other “top five” conditions focus on specific Squamish Nation interests, including a requirement for the company to insure all members for personal loss and injury in the case of a spill, explosion or other accident.
Can you imagine the provincial or federal government requiring that kind of protection for you and yours?
Tellingly, when District of Squamish raised similar concerns about the cooling discharge system in its comments on the project, Woodfibre LNG’s response last month was for the district to go back and take another look at documents that had already been submitted. With Squamish Nation, however, the company said stop the clock.
“As expected,” said Byng Giraud, Woodfibre LNG’s VP corporate affairs, “the conditions reflect Squamish Nation’s commitment to protecting land, water and heritage, and our focus now is to take the time to review them and work with Squamish Nation to understand their conditions.”
Squamish Nation’s lawyer, Aaron Bruce, said the bottom line is that the project will not go ahead “unless all of these conditions are addressed and resolved – to the Squamish Nation’s satisfaction.”
So once again we see a First Nation taking an authoritative stance on a major proposed development within its territory, effectively claiming veto powers over a decision by any other levels of government. While this trend is causing angst on some parts of the Sunshine Coast, for many it represents a last line of defence against unresponsive bureaucracies and agenda-driven political parties.
Does Squamish Nation have the power to stop Woodfibre LNG?
Maybe we’ll find out.
