The following compilation of articles gives some overview of the deep class divide among the Indigenous peoples in northern British Columbia over the proposals for a vast expansion of natural gas fracking in the northeast of the province, including new gas pipelines to the north coast at Kitimat and the construction there of liquefaction plants and export shipping terminals. There already exists a fantastic web of gas pipelines in the BC Northeast, connected to the Alberta fossil fuel extraction behemoth.
This compilation below includes several reports and one commentary (very last item) about the considerable opposition to conventional and fracked natural gas extraction in the Northeast that has been voiced for many years but is largely unknown and ignored in broader politics in the province, including among many of the environmentalists who hailed the carbon tax introduced by the BC government in 2008 and presented then-Premier Gordon Campbell with an environmental stewardship award at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Chief Kathy Dickie of the Fort Nelson First Nation wrote a moving account of opposition to gas extraction in Northeast BC that was published in the Vancouver Sun on Dec. 22, 2009. The account has disappeared from the Sun’s online archive but can be read here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NatNews-north/message/16656. A reference to her account was contained in an article that I wrote and was published on Rabble.ca and in The Bullet in June 2010:
Indigenous and other communities in the gas fields have serious opposition to the gas wells and any processing plants. Writing in the Dec. 22, 2009 Vancouver Sun, Chief Kathie Dickie of the Fort Nelson First Nation said, “Without the capacity to determine and plan for this development, the survival of the Fort Nelson First Nation is in jeopardy. This plant and the development that it brings must not be the end of us.”
A new report (December 2012) by the David Suzuki Foundation and Global Forest Watch Canada finds there are 28,587 kilometres of pipelines, 45,293 kilometres of roads, and 116,725 kilometres of seismic lines used for oil and gas exploration within the Peace region of northeast BC. The report coincides with heightened opposition in the region to a new dam, ‘Site C’, across the Peace River that would be used, in part, to power expansion of the greenhouse gas-spewing natural gas extraction industry there.
Roger Annis
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Kitimat-area band evicts gas pipeline surveyors
By Canadian Press, published in The Province (Vancouver daily), Wed. Nov. 21, 2012
KITIMAT, B.C. — Members of a First Nation in northern British Columbia have evicted surveyors working on a natural gas pipeline project from their territory and set up a roadblock against all pipeline activity.
A group identifying itself as the Unis’tot’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation said surveyors for Apache Canada’s Pacific Trails Pipeline were trespassing. “The Unis’tot’en clan has been dead-set against all pipelines slated to cross through their territories, which include PTP (Pacific Trails Pipeline), Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and many others,” Freda Huson, a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement. “As a result of the unsanctioned PTP work in the Unist’ot’en yintah, the road leading into the territory has been closed to all industry activities until further notice.”
Huson was not available for comment. It’s unclear what road is blocked, or where. The group said its territory is along the Clore River, located west of the Williams Creek Ecological Reserve about 30 kilometres southeast of Terrace.
Company spokesman Paul Wyke confirmed Wednesday (Nov 21) that surveyors were asked to leave the area. “We had some surveyors in the area last evening and they were asked to leave traditional territory by a small group of members from the Unis’tot’en, and they complied,” Wyke said. “We understand that there are some members of the Unis’tot’en that have expressed some concerns with the proposed PTP project, and we continue to consult with First Nations along the entire proposed pipeline right-of-way.”
Wyke said the company will continue ongoing consultations with aboriginal groups. The project has the support of 15 of 16 aboriginal groups along the route, he said.*
The blockading group said the province does not have the right to approve development on their traditional lands, which lie northwest of Kitimat, the future home of an Apache Canada liquefied natural gas plant and the tanker port for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Officials with the Wet’suwet’en, a First Nation comprised of five clans — none of which is identified as the Unis’tot’en on their official website — did not return calls seeking comment. The Wet’suwet’en have issued statements opposing the pipeline but discussions continue with the company.
British Columbia has become a battleground between oil and gas development and the rights of First Nations. Many aboriginal groups whose traditional territories stand between the booming Alberta oil sands and ports that could take their product to Asia view court-recognized rights as a trump card to development projects.
The proposed Northern Gateway project, which would deliver diluted bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to a tanker port in Kitimat, has taken the brunt of opposition, but critics of oil sands development and tanker activity off the B.C. coast are widening the scope of their dissent. A proposal by Kinder Morgan to twin an existing oil pipeline from Alberta to the Vancouver area is also attracting opposition as the project moves toward a formal application.
The $1-billion Pacific Trails Pipeline would deliver natural gas from northern B.C. and Alberta to the LNG terminal for shipment overseas. The pipeline, owned by Apache Corp., Encana (TSX:ECA) and EOG Resources, passed an environmental assessment in 2008. Construction was slated to begin this year and the pipeline is expected to be operational in 2015.
* As Coastal First Nations leader Art Sterritt frequently explains, the oil and gas companies routinely lie about the purported support for their projects from affected First Nations peoples in northern BC. He is categorical that the vast majority of those peoples in the path of the Northern Gateway (tar sands) Pipeline are opposed. The story of the Pacific Trails Pipeline (gas) and the largely unknown Trans Canada Pipeline proposal (gas, Dawson Creek to Kitimat) is more complicated because officials of at least one coastal people (and member of Coastal First Nations), the Haisla, are supportive, as are officials of peoples in the BC Central Interior (see article further below). The Pacific Trails Pipeline would run roughly parallel to Northern Gateway.–RA
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Apache surveyors ordered off unceded Wet’suwet’en Territory
Published on Warrior Publications, Nov 21, 2012
On the evening of November 20th, 2012, Wet’suwet’en Chief Toghestiy intercepted and issued an eagle feather to surveyors from the Can-Am Geomatics company who were working for Apache’s proposed Pacific Trails Pipeline (PTP). In Wet’suwet’en law, an eagle feather is used as a first and only notice of trespass. The surveyors and all other people associated with PTP were ordered to leave the territory and told that they are not ever allowed to return to Unis’tot’en land. As a result of the unsanctioned PTP work in the Unist’ot’en yintah, the road leading into the territory has been closed to all industry activities until further notice.
Toghestiy stated, “I have invoked the Wet’suwet’en Inuk nu’ot’en (Law) called Bi Kyi Wa’at’en (Responsibility of a husband to respectfully use and protect his wife’s territory) to issue a trespass notice to Pipeline workers on her sovereign territory. My Clan’s territory called Lho Kwa (Clore River) is located behind the Unist’ot’en territory adjacent to the Coastal town of Kitimat and it is our responsibility to protect our territory as well. We will be stopping all proposed pipelines.”
The Wet’suwet’en are made up of five Clans, with territories that they are expected to manage for their future generations. The Unis’tot’en clan has been dead-set against all pipelines slated to cross through their territories, which include PTP, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway, and many others. The Unis’tot’en have established a permanent community along the Widzin Kwa (Morice River) directly in the path of the proposed energy corridor and made their opposition extremely clear.
Freda Huson, spokeswoman for the Unis’tot’en Clan, states: “PTP does not have permission to be on our territory. It’s unceded land. We said “NO!” in their meetings. We’ve written them letters; I’ve sent them emails, saying “absolutely NO!” to their projects. Consider it trespass when you enter our territory without permission. You’ve received your warning. Don’t come back!”
This marks the second time that eagle feathers have been issued to pipeline workers. On August 23rd, 2010, Toghestiy and Hagwilakw of the Likhts’amisyu clan gave Enbridge representatives trespass warnings during a Smithers Town Council meeting where Enbridge attended to attempt to smooth over their recent oil spill on the Kalamazoo River.
For more information:
* Freda Huson, Spokesperson for the Unis’tot’en by email at fhuson@gmail.com or by cell phone at 778-210-1100.
* Toghestiy, Hereditary Wing Chief of the Likhts’amisyu at toghestiy@gmail.com , interview requests can be made by sending an email along with your contact information to the aforementioned email.
* A 9-minute video explaining the community can be found at http://stoptheflows.tumblr.com/
* The Unist’ot’en community’s website is http://unistotencamp.wordpress.com/decolonizing-the-carbon-corridor/
Please note that neither the Unis’tot’en People or the other Grassroots Wet’suwet’en are associated with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en. Watch video of Unis’tot’en members turning away surveyors, Nov 20, 2012: http://youtu.be/sXmFwj4YKsQ
Northern B.C.’s First Nations people to stand firm against pipelines
By Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight, September 27, 2012
During a recent conference against the expansion of oil and shale-gas operations in B.C., an elderly Native woman issued a bold call. “It’s time to warrior up,” declared Ta’ah George of the Tsliel-Waututh Nation, drawing cheers from an overflow crowd at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre gym in East Vancouver on September 21.
One speaker on the indigenous-women panel left no doubt that her people are up to the challenge. Her name is Freda Huson, a spokesperson for the Unis’tot’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Northern B.C. Huson explained why their struggle against a gas pipeline is connected to the more high-profile battle against the proposed Enbridge tarsands pipeline.
She was referring to the Pacific Trail Pipelines that will transport one billion cubic feet of gas per day from the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, sites at Summit Lake, B.C., to Kitimat. According to her, this pipeline will clear the route for Enbridge and other pipelines headed to the northwestern coast. “It will make it easier for Enbridge and other companies to come through the route that they decided to go through,” Huson said.
She also related that in 2010, with the guide of a global positioning system, her people built a cabin on the direct path of the gas pipeline. This cabin remains in place. Pipeline construction is expected to begin in 2013, through 2014. Outsiders, she said, will also need to receive “free, prior, and informed consent” before they can cross a bridge over the Morice River to enter Wet’suwet’en territory.
After the event, the Georgia Straight asked Huson how far she and her people will go. “We built the cabin right smack in the way, so that tells you that there will be no pipeline crossing our territory,” Huson answered firmly. “They did not get our consent.”
Asked if she sees the situation leading to something like the well-known standoffs involving First Nations people in Oka, Quebec, in 1990 and in Gustafsen Lake in the B.C. Interior in 1995, Huson replied: “Well, I’m moving into that cabin to make sure no pipeline will go through.” She added that she will be joined by others.
She said she isn’t fazed by the possibility that a court may issue an injunction order against them. “It’s Wet’suwet’en land, and we said we don’t believe in their law,” she said. “We have our own laws, and if they don’t listen to our laws, why should we listen to theirs?” When asked how they would deal with the prospect of a violent confrontation, Huson replied: “We’ll do what we need to do.”
Clearing along the Pacific Trail Pipelines route was scheduled to begin this past summer. The 463-kilometre pipeline is expected to be operational by the winter of 2015. As far as the 1,170-kilometre Enbridge oil pipeline is concerned, final arguments for and against the project before a federal review panel will start in April 2013.
The Council of Canadians is organizing a B.C.-wide speaking tour* in late October this year in connection with the Pacific Trail Pipelines, the Enbridge project, and the planned expansion by Texas-based Kinder Morgan of its Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby.
“The idea is to build solidarity between the different pipeline campaigns,” Council of Canadians organizer Harjap Grewal told the Straight by phone.
Apache Canada Ltd., which holds the biggest share in the consortium building the Pacific Trail Pipelines, would not grant an interview.
On September 24, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, told the Straight by phone that he expects more conflict because of “unresolved aboriginal land interests colliding with the ambitions of business and industry with respect to large-scale resource-development projects”.
Asked if he anticipates another Oka or Gustafsen, Phillip responded: “When you consider that the B.C. treaty process just acknowledged their 20th anniversary last week and sadly acknowledged that the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have not followed through on the commitments they made 20 years ago, and when you consider also the B.C. Court of Appeal brought down a very racist decision with respect to the Tsilhqot’in [Nation] case, whereupon they described the Tsilhqot’in people as seminomadic, my point is when we can no longer rely on the honour of the Crown through political negotiations or rely on the courts to protect and defend our aboriginal title and rights, we’ll be forced to do that directly ourselves.”
“That’s the long answer,” Phillip added. “The short answer is yes.”
* See my article on that speaking tour.–RA
Teegee elected Carrier Sekani tribal chief
By Ted Clarke, Prince George Citizen, July 23, 2012
Terry Teegee was the landslide winner in Friday’s Carrier Sekani Tribal Council election, gathering 415 votes to defeat his election opponent, Valerie O’Connal, who had 120 votes. After serving one three-year term as vice-chief, Teegee succeeds David Luggi, who declined to run for office again after six years as chief. Teegee, 41, is a registered professional forester who graduated UNBC with a forestry degree in 2005. A member of the Takla Lake First Nation, he grew up in Fort St. James and attended Fort St. James secondary school.
“I’m very excited and elated that our people put their confidence behind me to elect me,” said Teegee, who moves up from the vice-chief position. “The last three years working with David, he’s really guided me and left a foundation that I can work upon.”
Dolly Abraham, also of Takla Landing, was acclaimed as vice-chief, marking what Luggi jokingly referred to as the beginning of the “Takla dynasty.” It’s the first time in CSTC history all executives are from the same community. Teegee is the first Takla member to be elected to the executive.
“There wasn’t any doubt Terry was going to win,” said Luggi. “I have every confidence the newly-elected tribal chief will represent us very well.
“He’s got the technical skills as a registered professional forester and with his own nation he’s been engaged in developing a sawmill manufacturing plant with Tl’azt’en and Nak’azdl.”
Teegee and Abraham will represent eight member nations including: Nadleh Whut’en First Nation (Fraser Lake and Fort Fraser), Nak’azdli First Nation (Fort St. James), Stellat’en First Nation (Fraser Lake), Saik’uz First Nation (Vanderhoof), Takla Lake First Nation (Takla Lake), Tl’azt’en Nation (Stuart Lake and Tachie), Ts’il Kaz Koh (Burns Lake), and Wet’suwet’en First Nation (Burns Lake and Broman Lake).
As spokeperson for the Carrier Sekani, Teegee will be expected to stay current in representing his people during the development of several the natural resource megaprojects that will affect the Carrier Sekani’s traditional territory, including Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project. “I think we have to be prepared in knowing what our next steps will be and more than likely that will be litigation,” said Teegee, who utilizes social media like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with his people. “All indications are, with Harper’s Conservative government changing laws on the environment and fisheries and oceans with the Bill C-38 budget bill, they’re going to try to get this approved.
“It’s been a fight for the last six years and I really think it will continue on. I think it’s going to be a long fight.”
Teegee will also be overseeing the $6 billion Apache Pipeline Products liquid natural gas pipeline from Summit Lake (north of Prince George) to Kitimat as Apache tries to find a buyer for its product. He’ll also have input in Trans Canada Pipeline’s $12 billion liquid natural gas pipeline from Dawson Creek to Kitimat.*
Also on Teegee’s plate will be helping to create job opportunities for First Nations workers on mining and forestry projects. He will also be watching the Rio Tinto Alcan water license issue. As an amendment to its 62-year-old license, Alcan plans to construct a backup to its original tunnel to access water from the Nechako River to the Kemano reservoir and hydro power plant, which supplies electricity to the company’s aluminum smelter in Kitimat.
“Finding training for our people, it’s really important thing to continue on with that for our society,” said Teegee. “The CFTC has been a real catalyst for bigger things than just the tribal council –the beginning of the First Nations Forestry Council, and the [First Nations] Energy and Mining Council.
“There’s always been an issue with development in general and we really have to get a handle on it. Essentially, what we need is a land use plan and that will be the biggest thing we have to tackle.
“I want to give a voice to all our people. We have missing and murdered women as well as the issues of our children being apprehended. There’s a lot that needs addressing.”
* The $6 billion figure for the gas pipeline projects include estimated costs for the construction of liquefied natural gas plants in Kitimat, for which there are proposals to build at least three. It’s not clear if it includes the costs of related electrical generation stations (natural gas or hydro-electricity). RA
Excerpt from the annual (2011-12) report of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC)
http://www.carriersekani.ca/images/docs/cstc/AGA/CSTC_AnualReport20112012o.pdf
The CSTC comprises 15 Indigenous peoples whose territories lie in the geographic center of the province of British Columbia. The largest urban center in that area is Prince George, with a population of some 80,000. Prince George lies on the Fraser River and is a major railway (Canadian National), paper mill and government administrative center. It is home to the University of Northern British Columbia.–RA
… Pacific Trail Pipeline
The CSTC took the lead in the development of the agreements between 15 First Nations, BC and Apache. Never before has there been an agreement on this scale in Canada. Major components to the agreements are as follows: An option to secure 30% ownership of Pacific Trails Pipeline (PTP) $35 million from BC to become partners in PTP $8.5 million from PTP Potential net revenue to the 15 First Nations of $366 million First Nations have channeled their right to use and occupation of land into nation-building investments in the mainstream economy. Investment in the Pacific Trail Pipeline Project is testimony that industry, First Nations and government can work together on projects that will result in financial returns, gainful employment and associated opportunities that will benefit First Nations communities for generations to come.
Pacific Trails Pipeline Aboriginal Skills & Employment Partnership Program (PTP ASEP) 2009, 2010, 2012
In 2009, the CSTC developed a proposal and submitted it to Human Resources & Skills Development Canada to acquire funding for employment skills, training and job placement. The aim was to purchase training and secure job placement for aboriginal men and women. It was the largest training program of its kind in Canada.
Given that 15 First Nations are party to the agreement to a 30% equity share ($35 million from the province) and the building of the Pacific Trails Natural Gas Pipeline, it made sense to apply for the funding. Project proposals are required to clearly illustrate a solid partnership arrangement and set out a complete, multi- year training-to-employment plan. We confirm that the federal government has approved their share of the $18 million training package to operate the program for a two year period. The PTP ASEP program ended in March 2012.
The original aim was to:
Train and secure employment for PTP ASEP clients
Objective: To employ 400 PTP ASEP clients by March 31,2012
The final results of the 2 year PTP ASEP was:
Number of clients assessed: 1080
Number of client interventions: 3114
Number employed: 533
The PTP ASEP was a success and my acknowledgements to Diane Collins, Deb Frazer for their strong leadership in delivering the program. All the job coaches and support staff did an outstanding job to reach those numbers. A total of 52% of the clients that were assessed came from the CSTC member bands.
Currently, PTP ASEP has secured another $2.5 million in funding from Apache and another $500,000 from the province to continue the program. As well, the federal government has launched a Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF) which share many basic programs objectives as the ASEP program. We have applied for funding in May 2012 and hope to secure another $10 million for the next phase of training.
Final decision remains pending on pipeline project
By Mark Nielsen, Prince George Citizen, Jan 21, 2012
The Pacific Trail natural gas pipeline is still a few steps way from getting the go-ahead from the three companies behind the project, about 100 people who attended a workshop on the business opportunities were told Friday.
“We’re tremendously serious about this project but at the end of the day, it is a business at the end of the day and is has to make money,” the project’s vice president Terry Joubert said. “And there are a few things we need to resolve before we give the full green light.”
Along with speakers and participants, a small group of protestors gathered in opposition to “fracking” – the hydraulic fracturing of rock layers often used to access gas.
Preliminary cost of the pipeline, combined with a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant at Kitimat, has been put at $5.5 billion and “we have to get rid of all the risk or it doesn’t happen,” Joubert said. He said front-end engineering and design needs to be completed to establish clear cost estimates although Joubert added all the work done so far indicates the project makes sense.
Customers for the natural gas, which would be transported to Asia by ship, must also be secured and Joubert said the marketing department of Apache Canada Ltd. the project’s lead company is speaking to prospects in China, Korea and Japan. “These are very meticulous buyers. They want to make sure this is all going to happen, it’s going to happen under the conditions that we say, in the time we’re going to say.”
Three companies are behind the project. Apache Canada Ltd. holds 40 per cent ownership, and Encana Corp. and EOG Resource Inc. each have a 30-per-cent stake. In October (2011), the National Energy Board granted the trio a permit to export up to 10 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas over a 20-year period.
If they decide to proceed, Joubert said work will begin this summer and end sometime in late-2015, early-2016 with a “sight to behold,” namely a ship carrying LNG across the Pacific. Work has already begun in Kitimat on Haisla Nation territory on the clearing a site for the LNG plant.
Initially estimated to cost $1 billion, the Pacific Trail pipeline would start at Summit Lake, just north of Prince George and travel 463 kilometres to Kitimat. The project will be a particular boon to the region’s aboriginal population – as many as 600 area first nations members will be working on the pipeline.
Salmon spawning channels threatened: opponents
Supporters have taken pains to avoid confusion between Pacific Trail and Enbridge’s controversial Northern Gateway pipeline which would transport bitumen from the Alberta oilsands to Kitimat, pending approval from a federal panel. Even if the Pacific Trail pipeline springs a leak, the natural gas will dissipate into the air rather than spill out onto the surrounding area, proponents stress.
A small group of protesters nonetheless entered the meeting shortly before noon carrying a banner that read “no pipelines.” The same group held a protest against the project in December at the Prince George courthouse. Protestors Jay Myers and Jeremy Pahl listed as concerns the use of fracking to extract gas from deposits in the B.C. Peace, and opposition from members of a clan of the Wetsuwet’en to the proposal. In November, members of the Unist’ot’en clan set up a road block to stop exploratory drilling near the Gosnell River.
“Pacific Trail Pipeline’s proposed route is through two main salmon spawning channels which provide our staple food supply,” clan spokesperson Freda Huson said in a statement issued at the time. “We cannot and will not permit any pipelines through our territory.”
Apache spokesperson Paul Wyke said the project’s proponents continue to consult with first nations and stakeholders.
After Joubert’s presentation, concerns were raised about environmental risks posed by supertankers navigating the Douglas Channel to ship the gas, since ships would run on fuels other than natural gas and would have to negotiate three 90-degree turns on the way in and out. Joubert said those concerns are being studied and noted the Douglas Channel has been a very active marine channel.
Top 10 largest projects in Northern B.C.
Prince George Citizen, January 16, 2012
Below is a list of 10 of the largest projects proposed, or already underway, in the North. [Note, this list does not include the multi-billion dollar, liquefied natural gas terminals (3-5) proposed for Kitimat BC that the Apache company ‘s Pacific Trails Pipeline would feed nor the multi-billion dollar expansion of electricity production required to power those plants.–RA] :
Site C Dam What: 1,100 megawatt hydroelectric dam and reservoir Developer: B.C. Hydro Location: 7 km southwest of Fort St. John Estimate cost: $7.9 billion Status: Seeking environmental approval
Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline What: 1,172 km-long oil and condensate pipeline Developer: Enbridge Inc. Location: Kitimat to Edmonton Estimated cost: $5.5 billion Status: Seeking environmental approval
Kitimat Works Modernization What: Aluminum smelter upgrade Developer: Rio Tinto Alcan Location: Kitimat Estimated cost: $3.3 billion Status: Completion by 2014
Mt. Milligan Mine What: Open pit copper/gold mine Developer: Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. Location: 155 km northwest of Prince George Estimated cost: $1.3 billion Status: Operational by late 2013
Pacific Trail Pipeline What: 463 km natural gas pipeline Developer: Apache Canada Ltd., EOG Resources Canada Inc. and Encana Corp. Location: Kitimat to Summit Lake, B.C. Estimated cost: $1 billion Status: Operational by 2015
Fairview Terminal Phase 2 What: Quadrupling container handling capacity at port Developer: Prince Rupert Port Authority Location: Prince Rupert Estimated cost: $650 million Status: Design and environmental assessment underway
Northwest Transmission Line What: 344 km, 287 kilovolt electric transmission line Developer: B.C. Hydro Location: Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake Estimated cost: $364 million to $525 million Status: Completion by spring 2014
Red Chris Mine What: Open pit copper/gold mine Developer: Imperial Metals Corp. Location: 80 km south of Dease Lake Estimated cost: $443 million Status: Timed to be operational at the same time as the Northwest Transmission Line
Huckleberry Mine Main Zone Extension What: Expansion of molybdenum/copper/gold mine Developer: Imperial Metals Corp. (with partners) Location: 123 km southwest of Houston, B.C. Estimated cost: $201 million Status: Extends mine life from 2014 to 2021
Wood Innovation and Design Centre What: World’s tallest multi-use wood building Developer: B.C. provincial government Location: Prince George Estimated cost: $75 million Status: Expressions of interest submitted for review
Destruction in the name of green energy: The hypocrisy of B.C. resource development
By Roland Willson and Ken Forest Special to the Vancouver Sun, January 8, 2010 (web link no longer operative)
In the Vancouver Sun article of Dec. 22, 2009, Dene Chief Kathie Dickie referred to Premier Gordon Campbell’s hypocrisy on climate change. Further to this issue, the West Moberly First Nations and the Peace Valley Environment Association have taken a stand against massive exploitation in northeastern British Columbia.
Cowboys and Indians of the Peace River area of northeastern B.C. have joined forces to point out that the label “green and clean” is being used by our government as a mask for greed in the name of progress.
Imagine the following situations near your home. Imagine being labelled a NIMBY(not in my back yard) if you dare protest. Buses are parked all day, every day, for a month outside a rural school in readiness to move out students because a sour hydrogen sulphide gas well is being drilled 150 metres away. Parents, students and staff worry about the newly installed alarms going off. Legally, sour-gas wells can be drilled 100 metres from any rural residence in B.C. There are thousands of wells in northeastern B.C. Imagine the reaction to only one gas well in Stanley Park [downtown Vancouver] .
At another school in the northeast town of Taylor, the principal learns that the entire community could explode when panicked parents come running into the school to collect their children at noon-hour. A welder has sparked a 1,500-metre column of flame one kilometre away. After the school has been evacuated by using parents’ cars, the principal finds, at the top of the valley, that a line of ambulances, fire trucks and school buses is not allowed to enter the town to help because of the danger.
Coal mines and some wind turbines are being located or are in the planning process in critical core wintering habitat for caribou, as defined by the Species at Risk Act. Oil pipeline-leaks near Chetwynd (one million litres of oil into the Pine River) and near Fort St. John have threatened the region’s water supply and wildlife.
And now the provincial government is supporting an Enbridge pipeline built across the northeast to carry oilsands oil to waiting West Coast tankers at seismically active Kitimat. The government has stated its intention to double oil and gas production in B.C. by 2011.
Furthermore, vast tracts of spruce and poplar forests numbering in the hundreds of thousands of acres have been clear-cut to serve one of the largest forest products processing plants in the world at Fort St. John. (Pine trees are mostly dead as a result of climate-induced pine beetle kill). Among other problems, a large northern forest carbon sink is being further depleted. Roads, power lines, pipelines, pumping stations and thousands of diesel trucks service all of this development.
The vast majority of wealth from this exploitation is directed to B.C.’s populous south. It is the northeast that is responsible for B.C. being the highest emitter of CO2 this past year in Canada. There is also the proposed $6.6-billion Site C dam on the Peace River. The power produced in the name of “green and clean” would flood more than 100 kilometres of the Peace Valley and its tributaries.
The proposed Site C dam would destroy more than 7,000 acres of the highest quality Class 1 and 2 agricultural land in Canada, along with thousands of acres of C02-absorbing trees. It would increase methylmercury concentrations in aquatic life, threaten bull trout and Arctic greying, produce methane gas and change local climate, all in the name of “clean energy.”
Instead of being used in B.C., most of the power from the proposed Site C dam is intended for export to California and Alberta. Translation: Flood homes, ranches and wildlife, sell the power, then take the money. If it happens here, how many more B.C. waterways are for sale? As well, BC Hydro’s long-term planning indicates that a power line could be built from the North Peace River area to power the largest natural gas extraction in North America in the Horn River Basin near Fort Nelson.
How does flooding a farming valley to produce power to extract fossil fuel equate to green or clean? How does using diesel trucks to transport market garden produce more than 1,000 kilometres to the north, after flooding top farmland, make this green or clean? Why not invest in low-impact sources such as base geothermal or other alternatives for that power?
For the purchase of an electric car, the Ontario government provides thousands of rebate dollars. The same occurs in Saskatchewan for residential windmills, solar and geothermal. But despite the new B.C. “green” carbon tax, there appear to be no rebates or subsidies for residential wind or solar energy. There are, however, generous subsidies and royalty breaks for oil, gas and mining exploration and production.
Chief Roland Willson is with the West Moberly First Nations and Ken Forest is director of the Peace Valley Environment Association.
