Legislation tabled in the B.C. legislature puts in motion  ratification of the Province’s first project agreement with an LNG  proponent, marking an integral phase in the development of B.C.’s  liquefied natural gas industry, Premier Christy Clark announced  today.

“Three principles underpin these agreements: to give business  certainty and keep British Columbia competitive; to ensure British  Columbians see the benefits of the resource they own; and to ensure
we build the cleanest LNG facilities in the world,” said Premier Clark.

Finance Minister Michael de Jong tabled Bill 30, the Liquefied  Natural Gas Project Agreements Act, which provides the legislative authority for government to enter into LNG project agreements. LNG project agreements are a tool used to grant proponents considering large-scale capital investments in B.C. with assurance that certain specific taxes and environmental regulations will remain stable over a period of time.

 

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“Handcuffing future generations to a deal born of desperation and short-term thinking is in no one’s best interests,” said Gwen Barlee, Policy Director with the Wilderness Committee.  “Tackling climate change requires innovation and the ability to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances, and this deal takes that ability out of the BC government’s hands.”

Dave Barrett “by reducing its people to hewers of wood and drawers of water..”

 

Quick Facts:

* Between 2015 and 2020, Asian economic growth and the switch to a
cleaner fuel will almost double the demand for liquefied natural gas.

* B.C. has a natural gas supply estimated at 2,933 trillion cubic
feet. This could support domestic and export markets for the next 150
years.

* Natural gas is the cleanest-burning of all fossil fuels and results
in lower greenhouse gas emissions and pollution when it replaces
coal-fired generation.