The B.C. government鈥檚 $200-million contribution to the electrification of Cedar LNG is facing sharp criticism from environmental advocates, who say the public funding contradicts the province鈥檚 climate goals and extends reliance on fossil fuels.
鈥淭he BC NDP鈥檚 decision to financially support another liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is irresponsible,鈥� Jeremy Valeriote, interim leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for West Vancouver鈥揝ea to Sky said. 鈥淚t prolongs our dependence on fossil fuels and contradicts the Province鈥檚 legislated emissions-reduction targets鈥攚hich we have already failed to meet.鈥�
Announced July 29, the provincial funding will support the infrastructure needed to connect the Haisla Nation鈥搇ed Cedar LNG project to the provincial electricity grid. The floating LNG facility, located near Kitimat, is majority-owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Pembina Pipeline Corporation. The federal government has also committed $200 million to the project.
Critics, however, argue the public should not be subsidizing fossil-fuel infrastructure. 鈥淲hy is the public on the hook, yet again, to subsidize the LNG industry?鈥� asked Shannon McPhail, co-executive director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. 鈥淚f LNG were a viable economic option, it wouldn鈥檛 require billions of dollars in public money.鈥�
McPhail noted that key infrastructure鈥攕uch as the North Coast Transmission Line鈥攊s still years away, with no scheduled completion before 2030. 鈥淲e鈥檙e racing to the bottom by tying ourselves to a volatile, polluting industry that is on life support even with public funding,鈥� she said.
Valeriote also accused the province of greenwashing, saying officials repeatedly claim B.C. produces the 鈥渓owest-emission LNG in the world鈥� without offering data. 鈥淧ublicly subsidizing LNG expansion is not a 鈥榗lean鈥� way forward and harms climate and communities upstream from fracking,鈥� he said.
He went on to criticize what he described as a recent policy shift, saying LNG facilities are no longer required to be net-zero by 2030, but only to have a plan in place by then.
鈥淚nstead of funnelling public money into LNG,鈥� Valeriote said, 鈥渢he Province should invest in economic pathways that support long-term sustainability, public health, and community well-being.鈥�
