First Nations take on LNG, fracking

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Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 20:20

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First Nations take on LNG, fracking - This Weeks Dose of Common Sense r33








BC LNG faces growing First Nations opposition

Contrary to the popular myth that First Nations are embracing BC LNG, the nascent industry faces growing aboriginal opposition that could spook investors.
Read More Fort Nelson First Nation drums govt, industry out of LNG conference
Outraged over the gutting of environmental reviews for natural gas plants, the chief of Fort Nelson First Nation booted government and industry reps from a BC LNG conference. Read More BC Oil and Gas Commission abandons orphan wells

The BC Oil and Gas Commission has slashed its budget for its orphan well site reclamation fund by 80-percent.


Read More Things are really heating up on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) front in BC. This week, The Common Sense Canadian drilled down on the myth of overwhelming First Nations support for the much-hyped industry. Beneath the veneer of revenue sharing agreements and aboriginal pipeline consortia lies a growing resistance to the massive ramp-up of fracking, the climate and water issues that would accompany the BC Liberals' vision.

The issue came to a head at a conference discussing the benefits and risks of LNG, hosted by the Fort Nelson First Nation - whose territory would supply much of the fracked gas for LNG plants on the coast. Outraged by a surprise move to eliminate environmental reviews for gas plants, Chief Sharleen Gale and community members literally drummed government and industry reps out of the room. Hours later, Environment Minister Mary Polak issued an apology to First Nations and canceled the proposed legal changes.

Finally, Amara McLaughlin brings us the story of orphaned gas wells - abandoned by the companies who drilled them, leaving the public to clean up the mess. With tens of thousands of new fracked wells on the horizon to feed BC LNG, the Oil and Gas Commission just slashed its reclamation budget from $5 million to a paltry $1 million a year.

If this is any indication of the level of environmental care the government intends to apply to fracking and LNG, you can bet First Nations and the public will only get more fired up in the months to come.

Cheers,



Damien Gillis
Publisher



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