In an assessment report published recently by BC’s Environmental Assessment Office, they recommend approval to the requested amendments to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project, changes which include rerouting 172 km of pipeline, add two additional main spread construction camps, and accommodates marine facilities, along with other changes. All without a new environmental certificate.
In the assessment documents many local Nations are listed as being consulted... Metlakatla is listed as raising concerns on consultation and the Gitga’gat, Gitxaala and Kitsumkalum all stated consensus had not been reached on the recommendation to approve the amendment application.
The EAO also lists that they received correspondence regarding the amendment from the Gitxsan and it says they responded to concerns... although the Gitxsan has been very clear in their complete opposition to the project.
It’s written in the report that Gitxaala, Gitga’at, Kitselas, Nisga’a and DFO expressed concerns about insufficient baseline data along the marine route alternative area, particularly for identification of glass sponge reef locations to be avoided and protected.
Along with other wildilife, eulachon were of concern; following review of the draft report, Lax Kw’alaams stated they remained concerned about impacts to eulachon and were not satisfied with PRGT’s eulachon memo, believing it lacked key information.
One critic of the project Graeme Pole details the proposed build;
“So, if you’ve got a road like, say, the Pope Forest Service road in the Kispiox Valley here, the pipeline would cross that road at about kilometer four and a half, five. They’re going to put a work camp at kilometer three. So if you go berry picking, firewood gathering, hunting up the Pope road, you can’t do that anymore. So and that’s just one of many, many, many roads right across the province, not just here. That would be closed to public access.”
He says it puts a huge area of BC out of commission.
“Government is not telling you this, industry is not telling you this. They will just invade and shut it down. And we’ve seen it with Coastal Gaslink. We’ve seen it with Trans Mountain. This is what’s coming. And people need to be aware that they’re being basically lied to by their governments on this.”
Pole also lists several environmental concerns, particularly emissions;
“Pure methane, the volume of which you can’t get a number from industry, will be vented. And, along with being noisy, it’s just… This is a greenhouse gas. This is the driver of climate change. Far more potent than carbon dioxide. It leaks everywhere through the pipeline industry process. And then it’s intentionally flared like at Kitimat, what’s happening now. And it’s intentionally vented as part of pipeline operations. "
In their report, the EAO goes on to recommend a few new conditions before it ultimately recommends allowing the changes to the certificate for the Marine Route Alternative.