The the First Nations LNG Alliance issued Open Letter Concerning Liquefied Natural Gas in British Columbia
“Your government’s apparent withdrawal from this most important pillar of economic reconciliation and responsible energy transition would be an environmental and economic policy failure that threatens the wellbeing of our members and the province as a whole.” the statement said.
The statement says due to the “lack of express commitment to LNG development” in the Throne Speech on February 6, 2023 and long delays with regulatory decision-making. is what has them concerned about the future of LNG in British Columbia.
First Nations LNG Alliance says they are aware of political pressure within the BC NDP caucus and “various ill-informed NGOs” that believe the province need to end traditional energy development regardless of the economic and human consequences and called those “irresponsible and unrealistic” views.
“We do not hold these irresponsible and unrealistic views. Rather, for the first time in many generations, LNG development has provided immediate and medium-term opportunities to lift thousands of Indigenous people and our communities out of intergenerational poverty. In fact, we are already seeing benefits from employment, training, contracting, procurement, and benefits agreements which we anticipate will continue flowing from responsible resource development projects into the future.”
They say the LNG projects create jobs and lift thousands of Indigenous people out of poverty and argue “LNG is the only available transition-to-net-zero fuel” and it’s impossible to follow through with reconciliation and appease “climate alarmists”.
On Tuesday, February 21, 2022 the BC Liberals/BC United, laid into the BC NDP about the delays and raising concerns with missed economic growth opportunity for the province.
BC Liberal/BC United Michael Lee argues the LNG projects being delayed are long beyond the legislated time frame of 45 days.
“It seems that this premier is choosing his extremist base, including members of his own cabinet, over indigenous reconciliation and economic opportunity” said Michael Lee
Lee reads a quote from the BC NDP Attorney General Niki Sharma “this is just the beginning of our fight to expose LNG for what it truly is another climate catastrophe”
BC NDP MLA Niki Sharma was on the board for U.S.-based radical environmental activist group Stand Guard Earth, which she lead campaigns rallying against British Columbia’s LNG infrastructure. According to her linkedin profile she was with Stand Earth from June 2020 to November 2020.
BC Liberal/BC United Todd Stone tells the BC NDP in the legislature that B.C. should be the “clean and ethical LNG reducing emissions in Asia by 50%”.
Stone also highlighted Russia invading Ukraine is a reminder that the west needs to help other nations pivot away from oil and gas being “sold by dictators like Vladimir Putin” and onto more clean and ethical energy from British Columbia.
Premier David Eby gave a long winded speech insisting that “climate change” targets are getting in the way of LNG and it’s not possible to change the overly ambitious emissions targets for Canada or British Columbia.
Eby also said that LNG is a dead end industry claiming that other nations don’t want Canada’s ethical oil and gas.
“The world is transitioning rapidly away from fossil fuels” he said.
Contrary to what Eby claims, the demand for LNG is looking at him straight in the face. Eby is denying the future demand for LNG in his own province. Recently translink announced it is buying a fleet of 84 natural gas buses which will require LNG to operate.
Premier David Eby is either lying or purposely misleading British Columbians saying the world is moving away from fossil fuels considering Germany came to Canada last year begging Justin Trudeau for LNG shipments to Germany. Asian countries are also in great need of British Columbia’s clean and ethical LNG to ease them off dirty and unethical energy.
“Officials for Japan and South Korea made it clear there is a demand for LNG in both countries and that they viewed Canada a potential energy ally and reliable trade partner” reported BIV.
Eby pretends to speak for all British Columbian’s falsely claiming they don’t want fossil fuel projects in the province.
According to a study published earlier this month by Research Co, 55% of British Columbians support the provincial government allowing for further development of the LNG industry, while 29% are opposed and 17% are undecided.
India is one of the biggest polluting nations in the world accounting for a large chunk of global emissions. It was reported that India is set to fire up more coal burning power plants this year as they try to meet their energy demands.
