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The president of an organization representing First Nations along the north coast of B.C. says it would not support any new pipeline projects in northern B.C.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told Bloomberg News Tuesday that she expects a private company will bring forward a proposal to build a new oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast within weeks.
Smith wants to revive a plan to bring oilsands crude to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia, with the endpoint in Prince Rupert, B.C.
“There is no project or proponents that would be acceptable to us on the North Coast,” said Marilyn Slett, elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council, about 479 kilometres north of Vancouver, and president of the Coastal First Nations’ Great Bear Initiative (CFN)—an alliance of nine First Nations on the north Pacific coast of B.C. to Haida Gwaii.
“Anything that proposes to send oil through the coast is a non-starter,” said Slett.
Many of the CFN First Nations were parties to a B.C. Supreme Court appeal that stopped Northern Gateway pipeline plans to ship crude oil from the port of Kitimat, B.C.
The Enbridge project was scrapped because the court ruled Ottawa failed to properly consult with First Nations affected by the pipeline.
Slett said that CFN does support reliable energy projects like solar and hydroelectric.
“[The] north Pacific coast is one of the richest cold water marine ecosystems on earth and it’s a source of our sustenance, tied to our culture and the livelihoods of not just our communities but many British Columbians,” said Slett.
“We can’t have one livelihood at the cost of another,” she said.
A University of British Columbia Study estimated that a major oil spill cleanup on the North Coast could cost up to $9.6 billion, and cost the region’s commercial fisheries, port, ferry transportation and tourism industries more than $300 million.
B.C. premier won’t take position
B.C. Premier David Eby has not given a firm position on whether he would support a pipeline through northern B.C, telling CBC The Early Edition on Thursday, “I won’t speculate about a project that doesn’t exist.” But did say he would not support a publicly funded pipeline to the North Coast.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a proposal to build an oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast could be just weeks away. For his part, B.C. Premier David Eby has said he opposes a publicly-funded pipeline, but may consider a privately backed project. He joined CBC’s Stephen Quinn to respond to Smith and discuss the possible proposal.
Eby told CBC that his government is in support of the federal oil tanker ban on the North Coast.
The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil, or persistent oil products, from stopping, loading, or unloading at ports in a restricted area covering nearly the entire North Coast.
Slett said she would like Eby’s government to take a position on a potential pipeline.
“Theoretically or not, these discussions are happening,” said Slett.
‘Knee-jerk reaction’
The B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, Terry Teegee, said that First Nations have a right to be concerned about Eby’s comments, but that these discussions are premature.
Teegee said that this is a “knee-jerk reaction” to tariffs from the U.S. administration, which has led the province to diversify its trade relationships.
Eby recently returned from a 10-day trade mission to East Asia, where Japanese conglomerates expressed interest in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the province.
“We’ve got partners over there that prefer to buy B.C. LNG because it comes from a politically stable jurisdiction, but also because it is the lowest carbon LNG in the world,” Eby told CBC.
LNG has started producing liquefied natural gas that is being transported by the Coastal GasLink pipeline to an export facility in Kitimat, B.C.
“It is really concerning because some of these projects will have long-lasting impacts to many First Nations that would affect their territories [for] decades, if not hundreds of years,” said Teegee.
Teegee said First Nations need to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to large energy projects being considered and approved.
“This one is, as we’ve seen previously, it failed,” said Teegee.
“Perhaps it’s a pipe dream.”