BCWF
12-05-2016, 06:27 PM
For Immediate release:
The BCWF response to federal approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion
December 05, 2016
Surrey, B.C.
The BCWF has been involved as an official Intervenor throughout the National Energy Board (NEB) process that has led to federal approval for the Trans Mountain pipeline upgrade and expansion to proceed in 2017.
The BCWF mandate for participation in environmental assessments is:
To make British Columbians aware of the threats to land, water and air sheds
To recommend where to avoid, mitigate or offset existing and potential impacts
To cooperate with groups with similar environmental objectives
Marine Protection
The $1.5 billion National Oceans Protection Plan announced by the Canadian government in November is welcomed by the BC Wildlife Federation. The federal government has committed to significantly increase British Columbia’s capacity to deal with marine emergencies and pollution incidents.
There are many details that need to be implemented to ensure safeguards are in place, including;
Strengthening the ability to respond on the west coast led by the Canadian Coast Guard
Developing Community Response Teams including First Nations, and
Building marine spill response stations at strategic locations on Canada’s west coast
Terrestrial Protection
The BCWF submissions to the NEB from 2014 to 2016 focused on key fish and wildlife habitats along the proposed pipeline corridor.
The BCWF has consistently called for independent oversight to ensure that NEB mandated activities, including the Wetland Survey and Mitigation Plans and the Preliminary Wetland Offset Plans, are accurate, achieve specific outcomes and protect the public good.
The BCWF continues to recommend that Trans Mountain go beyond no net-loss and adopt a net-gain strategy for all wetlands impacted by the pipeline expansion.
Climate Change and Cumulative Effects
Prior to accepting the NEB’s recommendation to approve the pipeline expansion, subject to 157 terms and conditions, a three-person Ministerial Panel was appointed to review the process. The panel convened hearings in communities impacted by the development and produced a report for the federal government. The panel posed 6 questions in its 60 page report.
Read the Ministerial Panel Report:
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/files/pdf/16-011_TMX%20Full%20Report-en_nov2-11-30am.pdf
The BCWF agrees with the Ministerial Panel that several important questions still need to be addressed;
“In the absence of a comprehensive national energy strategy, how can policy makers effectively assess projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline?”
“Can construction of a new Trans Mountain Pipeline be reconciled with Canada’s climate change?”
The Ministerial Panel said that “a broader and more transparent planning regime would offer certainty to industry and reassurance to those who are worried about the social, environmental and economic consequences of huge new resource-related developments
The BCWF Recommendations
1. The BCWF continues to urge provincial, federal and local governments to work together in order to address cumulative impacts, not on a project by project basis, but through a structure such as an independent Natural Resource Practices Board that would oversee cumulative effects across all jurisdictions.
2. Non-renewable resource extraction, such as mining, oil and gas, should be required to have biodiversity compensation programs attached as a condition of the activity, and long-term public investment strategies to reflect the non-renewable nature of these resources.
3. The BCWF continues to recommend that an independent fund be set up with the objective to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitats impacted by the development. A funding mechanism still needs to be established to provide financial support for community-based groups to participate in Trans Mountain’s Environmental Stewardship Program over the decades the project will take place.
Researchers from government, universities, private sector and NGOs should be able to apply to access funds through proposals that address strategic research, restoration and enhancement goals.
The BCWF response to federal approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion
December 05, 2016
Surrey, B.C.
The BCWF has been involved as an official Intervenor throughout the National Energy Board (NEB) process that has led to federal approval for the Trans Mountain pipeline upgrade and expansion to proceed in 2017.
The BCWF mandate for participation in environmental assessments is:
To make British Columbians aware of the threats to land, water and air sheds
To recommend where to avoid, mitigate or offset existing and potential impacts
To cooperate with groups with similar environmental objectives
Marine Protection
The $1.5 billion National Oceans Protection Plan announced by the Canadian government in November is welcomed by the BC Wildlife Federation. The federal government has committed to significantly increase British Columbia’s capacity to deal with marine emergencies and pollution incidents.
There are many details that need to be implemented to ensure safeguards are in place, including;
Strengthening the ability to respond on the west coast led by the Canadian Coast Guard
Developing Community Response Teams including First Nations, and
Building marine spill response stations at strategic locations on Canada’s west coast
Terrestrial Protection
The BCWF submissions to the NEB from 2014 to 2016 focused on key fish and wildlife habitats along the proposed pipeline corridor.
The BCWF has consistently called for independent oversight to ensure that NEB mandated activities, including the Wetland Survey and Mitigation Plans and the Preliminary Wetland Offset Plans, are accurate, achieve specific outcomes and protect the public good.
The BCWF continues to recommend that Trans Mountain go beyond no net-loss and adopt a net-gain strategy for all wetlands impacted by the pipeline expansion.
Climate Change and Cumulative Effects
Prior to accepting the NEB’s recommendation to approve the pipeline expansion, subject to 157 terms and conditions, a three-person Ministerial Panel was appointed to review the process. The panel convened hearings in communities impacted by the development and produced a report for the federal government. The panel posed 6 questions in its 60 page report.
Read the Ministerial Panel Report:
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/files/pdf/16-011_TMX%20Full%20Report-en_nov2-11-30am.pdf
The BCWF agrees with the Ministerial Panel that several important questions still need to be addressed;
“In the absence of a comprehensive national energy strategy, how can policy makers effectively assess projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline?”
“Can construction of a new Trans Mountain Pipeline be reconciled with Canada’s climate change?”
The Ministerial Panel said that “a broader and more transparent planning regime would offer certainty to industry and reassurance to those who are worried about the social, environmental and economic consequences of huge new resource-related developments
The BCWF Recommendations
1. The BCWF continues to urge provincial, federal and local governments to work together in order to address cumulative impacts, not on a project by project basis, but through a structure such as an independent Natural Resource Practices Board that would oversee cumulative effects across all jurisdictions.
2. Non-renewable resource extraction, such as mining, oil and gas, should be required to have biodiversity compensation programs attached as a condition of the activity, and long-term public investment strategies to reflect the non-renewable nature of these resources.
3. The BCWF continues to recommend that an independent fund be set up with the objective to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitats impacted by the development. A funding mechanism still needs to be established to provide financial support for community-based groups to participate in Trans Mountain’s Environmental Stewardship Program over the decades the project will take place.
Researchers from government, universities, private sector and NGOs should be able to apply to access funds through proposals that address strategic research, restoration and enhancement goals.