Concerns raised over LNG proposal over predicted greenhouse gas emissions
VANCOUVER — Canada’s environmental review body says greenhouse gas emissions from a proposed liquefied natural gas facility on British Columbia’s north coast pose a significant ecological threat.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency released its draft environmental assessment report on Wednesday for Pacific NorthWest LNG’s planned $36-billion export terminal on Lelu Island, south of Prince Rupert.
The report found the project alone would produce 5.28 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, while upstream activities would contribute an additional 6.5 million to 8.7 million tonnes. Those levels represent an overall increase in provincial emissions of 8.5 per cent and between 10 and 14 per cent respectively, the document concludes.
“The upstream greenhouse gas emissions … can be characterized similarly to the direct emissions: high in magnitude, continuous, irreversible and global in extent,” reads the report.