Pacific Trails Pipeline Project clears the path for Enbridge, largely under the radar of most British Columbians.

Posted on by Laila

If there is one thing that can be said about all the attention being paid to the Northern Gateway Project, it is that it provides a good distraction for other projects and issues to move along without getting the same ass kicking Enbridge is.

Take for example, the Pacific Trails Pipeline project ( also referred to as the KSL line). While there has been protest here and there, and media coverage during the approval process, by and large it has flown completely under the radar of most British Columbians. That is a damn shame in my opinion, and I’m going to tell you why.

First of all, this pipeline is owned by Apache Corporation,  Encana and EOG Resources (formerly Enron). It is going to be transporting LNG to Kitimat in an expanded 42 inch diameter pipe and will assist in driving expansion of fracking in Northeastern BC, something the Liberals are all over like flies on dung. Unfortunately for the people in that area of BC, the NDP are right on board with fracking as well, energy critic John Horgan extolling the virtues as he perceives them in this linked interview.

It’s all the same junk,different piles… the pipeline, the LNG plant in Kitimat, expansion of fracking in BC and the proposed Site C dam – something Clark already admitted is needed to power LNG plants and expansion in BC.  We are rushing around trying to get resources to a Chinese market that has already bought up so many LNG supply contracts around the world, and is now showing signs of the same economic decline and crunch the rest of the world has been experiencing for far longer.

But wait, if that isn’t contentious enough for you already, here is the real point you might not have known about yet.  The Pacific Trails Pipeline runs from just north of Summit Lake, ( about 55 kms north of Prince George) to Kitimat…. and  a large portion of this pipeline right of way follows the same route Enbridge plans for the Northern Gateway pipeline.

In fact, Pacific Trails is beginning to clear the pipeline route this summer, logging and cutting brush and many fear this is going to pave the way for Enbridge and mitigate much of the environmental impact in this area… and Enbridge has it all that much easier for a portion of their total route.

In May 2011, Damien Gillis reported on an interview Enbridge CEO Pat Daniels did with Fox News in which he said the following:

“We think we’re in a very strong position with regard to exporting Canadian natural gas in particular. We’re currently putting forward our credentials to the proponents – EOG, Apache, Shell and others – that are working on moving Western Canadian natural gas out to the West Coast; and we would hope to be able to see some synergies with the right-of-way that we’re working on with our Gateway pipeline out to the West Coast. So, yes, we’re very interested in doing that and we would hope to be the the pipeline provider for one or both of those alternatives. (emphasis added)”

While largely unreported by major media outlets, there has has already been physical opposition to the Pacific Trails Pipeline by the Unist’ot’en and the Likhts’amisyu of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, who evicted and escorted out Pacific Trails Pipeline drillers and their equipment back in November. They are continuing to protest this pipeline and others that cross their territories and will threaten the  two main salmon spawning and food supply streams they rely on as the staple in their diet. They don’t go to Choices to buy eco friendly, organics, they live off the land – the very land both these pipelines cross and I believe you can toss Kinder Morgan in there too. They need support. This is their way of life.

With active clearing already begun for the Pacific Trails/KSL line, the time has come for all British Columbians to inform themselves about what’s going on and what they can do about it. This pipeline has already been approved, without a lot of fuss or fight and this portion of the line, is crucial to Enbridge who must already have an agreement in place with the partners behind  Pacific Trails to use the same right of way in this area. It might even be that if Enbridge’s Bitumen line is tanked, they will be in place to offer the option of LNG transport…. another synergy between partners?

I don’t hold all the answers.

I support sustainable and environmentally sound resource extraction and believe this can be achieved… if the dedication and values are there in government to set the standard for such. Unfortunately, our governments are not in line with this goal, are willing to sell BC to the highest bidders and for that reason I do believe the people must set the standard and ensure their lands are protected, at any cost.

“Only when the last tree has died  and the last river been poisoned  and the last fish been caught  will we realise we cannot eat money.”   ~Cree Proverb

The people of the Wet’suwet’en Nation have issued a call to action: Indigenous people are asking for solidarity to stop the bulldozing of the Enbridge pipeline route in Northern BC. This summer, Pacific Trails Pipeline company plans to clear hundreds of kilometers of forests, streams, and wetlands for their gas pipeline. Clans in the Wet’suwet’en First Nation say NO. They are calling for support at Unis’tot’en Camp in the path of the pipelines.

Answer the call. Complete information on this event can be found at http://forestaction.wikidot.com/caravan

58 thoughts on “Pacific Trails Pipeline Project clears the path for Enbridge, largely under the radar of most British Columbians.”

  1. However, aside from the right of way issues, and fracking remains to be debated, LNG if it spills dissipates without much of a mark UNLESS it is accompanied by a spark. Then the resulting explosion will really make a mark…
    But otherwise, it is much better than oil or the sludge Enbridge is proposing to transport.
    I might support LNG infrastructure.

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    1. Agreed, that LNG is less harmful than bitumen and oil – for purposes of transport, but the point is the province is jumping into all of it with no real direction. Their own report negates Enbridge and they ignore it. They pick and choose the best info to support fracking without the impact on water supplies and watersheds. The NDP are right behind them on fracking despite not even knowing what chemical cocktail the companies use in tha water to get the gas…. Its fucking crazy is what it is. Resource extraction and management needs to be done properly and that takes time, something the feds and provincial government dont want to spend to do it right. Remove red tape and environmental safeguards to get the money flowing and to hell with anything that happens because they’ll worry about that later.

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  2. Laila, its nice to have you back providing your solid newsworthy topics that should be front and centre in mainstream media.

    I would not be surprised if Alcan curtails their $2.7 billion smelter expansion, and instead they focus solely on their Kemano hydro power operation. The Kenny Dam has 890MW of power capacity, and they have just received approval for completion of their back-up tunnel. This could provide an opportunity to generate more power.

    If I recall correctly, the total electric power requirements for all 3 liquification plants are 1,600 MW and the Encana plant requirements are 250 MW. In the past both Alcan and Cominco curtailed their smelting operations and sold their power through the BC Hydro grid.

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    1. Thank you rmaharg, nice to be back. I have something to post on BC Hydro in a bit that makes it look like they know something is going through that the rest of us dont.

      Here is one way you can participate and help these grassroots first nations fight this clearing. http://forestaction.wikidot.com/caravan – I added it to the story at the bottom.

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  3. @rmaharg is correct, in my opinion. I think there is a plan B and C, they all create profit at the expense of the general population and it’s difficult to fight a war on three fronts…

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  4. Thanks for that great article. There are so many proposed pipelines right now it is difficult to keep track, and I research pipelines! Fracking scares the shit out of me. How can we let this continue, but how can we stop it? The pockets of these resource based companies are so deep.
    If humans were as interested in preserving the natural environment as we are about the hockey scores, the planet would be blue-green for centuries!

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    1. The pockets of these resource companies are deep,but we have spirit,we have social media, and we have truth on our side.When we act together in a cohesive and united manner,nothing is unstoppable.

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  5. Yes, there is social media. But, sadly in this country/and or province, outside of the odd petition, it doesn’t appear to be doing the trick. Mother earth is in deep doo do and continually throwing rocks at individual politicos and corporations isn’t going to solve it. Many of us are tired of the same old, same old and crave discussions of the alternatives with the objective of putting some pressure under all levels of government (& those aspiring to be part of government ~be they elected or appointed) to step up to the plate. Times awasting.

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    1. You are largely right in that Shirley- as hard as it is for many to get this, there is a huge portion of the population who don’t access social media in any form and don’t care to. But I recall a reader before my summer break who didnt have a computer at all, up north out of Smithers, who left me a comment here with her husband. Their daughter told them about a post of mine,and they drove all the way to her house to access her computer to read it, to respond.. and that gave me hope,however small, in the power of those who do access this information. We can’t just read it, we must share it, pass it on, tell those who might not find out, pick up the phone, write a letter for god’s sake!

      That being said…. it still pisses me off to no end, and I mean seriously gets me riled,all the people who do whine and complain and do nada.It pisses me off to see such complacency when it comes down to the heart of an issue, as my dad would say, shit or get off the pot! People expect others to do the hard work, the protesting,the blockades, whatever, they dont want to extend themselves and their comfortable lives. Not all, but many feel this way when it comes down to it. And to them I ask again, who will fight for you when it is your house, your river, your forest, your kids legacy… that someone decides isnt valuable enough to save?

      Time is awasting. Start with contacting these people up north and seeing how you can help or make a difference. Share our work, hold your local politician of any party accountable.

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  6. Viva Le Revolution – BC should consider being it’s own country. I personally cannot trust, believe or handle the Buffoonery of the Provincial and federal Governments. They have done Nada for the average citizen. they overcharge us for our fuel and sell cheaper to our neighbors and other countries. And they want us to support them and we don’t have no say? I say Viva Le Revolution!! BC does not need the rest of Canada..Canada needs BC. Viva Viva Le Revolution

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    1. I am right on board with you there, oceantor… Viva le revolution. Give me a horse to ride the streets shouting it out. ; )

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  7. @oceantor ; I would agree with you on the separation bit except for one small detail. How would we ensure that a party like the Lieberals would not get into power and drive us into total bankruptcy ? I am not totally keen on the NDP either, and forget the Conservatives right now too ( far too many religious nuts among others for me, and then theres Herman Munster ). With the political choices that we have right now, separation would be suicide for us. We are actually damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Great choices in my book 😦 .

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    1. Truly, seperation is a silly thing. Look at Quebec.You can’t have your cake and eat it too and it just isn’t realistic.

      What is realistic is continually exposing the truth, reporting it, and really holding these politicians accountable when it comes to voting time. I know, maybe more than most -like many of my colleagues-how frustrating it can be to see all this shit exposed, this corruption, cronyism,this unethical way of doing business by way of cash incentives,or padding contracts, or having friends lobbying friends for preferred bidder status….. Yes I know how frustrating it is to see all this stuff come out and for what?

      For the RCMP to ignore it because they are so overloaded on petty crime and gang activity they cant take white collar crime seriously? Or maybe it’s totally fine with them to have criminal and unethical behavior in government because its been going on for so long thats just how business is done these days. And then we have voters who, although they know the governing party has screwed them over, and will continue to do so, will vote them in again… and again…..

      This time, this next election must be different. Federally and provincially. I truly hope people GET what is happening to our sovereignty and our rights on a federal level with DICKtator Harper, and what is happening here in BC with our Liberals, who, if re-elected again, will attach a price tag what is left and sink the province into a deep hole we cant climb out of anytime soon… oh wait. They already did that.

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      1. I would add the RCMP do not take white collar crime seriously because they don’t have the skill set, nor the desire. Any chance of the RCMP challenging the rich and powerful in this country was lost when Rod Stamler retired (see Paul Palango’s 1994 book “Above the Law”). It is not in their interest to take on white collar crime since most of the top uniformed leadership support those that gave them their epaulets. Harper now has 17 RCMP officers that mind for him 24 hours a day. These are the overt numbers. I wonder what the covert numbers are.

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  8. Christy said, the F.N. did approve of the N.G. plants in Kitimat. That really worried me, for this very reason. You give those s.o.b’s one inch and they will take a thousand miles. The F.N. should have known better, than to trust Christy and her BC Liberals. You permit the N.G. tankers in, and the dirty tar oil tankers will follow.

    The F.N. people have banners that say, they only want to be consulted over the Enbridge pipeline. That the F.N. have to give their consent, to the pipeline. I was totally shocked, when I saw that photo online. I thought the F.N. would never permit the Enbridge pipeline, for any amount of money. Are we so stupid to think, the dirty tar tanker’s from Communist China, will be the only tankers in Port Kitimat? The U.S. can also send their dirty tankers into Kitimat too. How many more country’s will send their dirty tankers? Japan too, was up at the tar sands looking around. That country too, will send their dirty tankers.

    Fracking for gas means. We can have free home heat. All we have to do is light the water on fire, coming out of our faucets. Fracking pollutes the clean underground water for miles. However, the F.N. permitted the LNG tanks in Kitimat, we don’t have a leg to stand on.

    The F.N. should have known. Christy and her BC Liberals, work for Harper, just as Campbell and his Liberals did before her. Christy has one of Harper’s henchmen working for her. Boessenkool works for Harper and lobbies for Enbridge. Christy doesn’t give a damn, if the Enbridge pipeline or the tankers, destroy the F.N. food sources, and pollute this province. She is just after the money. She doesn’t give a damn about the BC people, any more than Harper does.

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  9. This is not something that has happened overnight. Years, and I do mean years, of government and environmental hearings have been attended in order to allow for the pipelines and plants to get the go-ahead. No red tape or environmental safeguards were by-passed. Does no one use natural gas to heat their home or hot water tanks? Let’s be realistic here, if there was no natural gas to flow to your home, what would you use to heat your home? Wood? Coal? Oil? Electricity from BC Hydro? And how does that “resource” get to your home? Magic? No pipeline? No clearing the right of way for electrical towers or pole lines? Of course I’m concerned about the environment but we also need to be realistic. There are environmental guidelines that must be followed, all set forth by the government that was elected by you, the people. The job creation stemming from the Pacific Trail Pipeline and eventually the multitude of plants in Kitimat and Prince Rupert will create thousands upon thousands of blue collar jobs that will, in turn, benefit the economy and not just the corporate world. And for the record, natural gas is not being sold cheaper. The comparable price a few months ago in Europe was $11 and in South Korea $14. Check your natural gas bill the next time it comes in and compare the rate to that of which has been reported for the sale of natural gas overseas.
    If you live in the forest and do not use oil, natural gas, or anything else to warm yourself, then I applaud you. Somehow I don’t believe that is where you live. There is always going to be someone complaining (or protesting) about what the natural resources in this country are being used for. It’s great to hear the chatter but if you talk the talk, then walk the walk. Could your boat not leak fuel or oil into the ocean, could your car not leak oil onto the ground, does your car not pollute? Multiply that by the millions of people in this province that drive and boat. They litter, they consume, they polute.

    The corporate giants aren’t the only ones to blame. In the end, the consumer chooses what resource they are willing to exploit.

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    1. An incredibly nice attempt at schmoozing a little PR swing on this, “concerned but realistic”.. but since you are posting from the offices of Apache Corporation I think I’ll take that with a huge grain of salt. come on.. 64 visits since 6 am my time this morning….wow.

      host67.apachecorp.com
      Location:Calgary, Alberta, Canada

      Visit Length:9 hours 1 min 36 secs

      ISP:Telus Communications

      They must be paying you well.

      In case you didn’t know,I have researched many projects in BC where the environmental assessments were either ignored, hidden, ignored…companies pay the fines,pay the restitution, make a little project somewhere else to offset the damage they did on the project and in cases where the projects occur in the middle of nowhere…. tell me again how careful and rigourously thats monitored?

      And for the record, you might want to try this little clean and wash on someone who doesnt know as much about the Chinese economy and investments in LNG, in particular since China is sitting on some of the biggest, if not the biggest, shale gas reserves in the world. Contracts with the Aussies and elsewhere.. by the time the LNG is flowing through this pipeline and to the plant in Kitimat I doubt we will see any other plants.And if I may make a suggest, you might want to read the financials to get an idea of how much Chinas economy is slowing down….

      Thanks though, for the chuckle. Tell your boss to send someone more adept next time.

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      1. Oh and I forgot.. Can you perhaps share with us the nature of the “synergies” between your companies partnership on this line and Enbridge, as Daniels refers to above? Just to clarify things for us… are they paying you in part for clearing the right of way in areas you both will share along the energy corridor?

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  10. We should expect dirty politics and dirty tactics, from Harper and his Conservatives and the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals. Not only are BC and the people victimized by the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, we are also victimized by Harper and his Conservatives. We are surrounded by a pack of Hyena’s.

    Harper is selling out control, of the tar sands to Communist China. Enbridge has lied, right from day one. Christy can be bought, for the right amount of money. Premier Redford has the gall, to force the Enbridge pipeline onto BC. She has had three pipeline spills in Alberta, that are utter disasters.

    All I can say is. Redford herself, and her Alberta citizens, can damned well vacation at the dirty tar sands. They are not welcome in BC anymore.

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    1. Redford doesnt really care because she doesnt have the coastline we do, nor do they in many areas, have the sensitive ecosystems our coastal and northern forests hold. We won’t begin to talk about how their province has addressed.. or not addressed…. pollution in the Athabaska river system…..

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  11. Here’s one more source for your Pacific Trails Pipeline Project, its from the Legislative Library where they talk about the life of the Pacific Pipeline PIPES…. which is pegged at 50 years. What do they do with if after 50 years? Sell it to a third party who doesn’t know the life of the pipe is over, and it could break and then spew some other chemical far and wide.

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  13. Christie says that one of the five requirements to get her support for Northern Gateway is that “Legal requirements regarding Aboriginal and treaty rights are addressed, and First Nations are provided with the opportunities, information and resources necessary to participate in and benefit from a heavy-oil project”. So, if I understand correctly, she wants First Nations buy in before supporting Enbridge’s Northern Gateway, but it seems that she hasn’t obtained Unist’ot’en and Likhts’amisyu of the Wet’suwet’en Nation approval for the Pacific Trails pipeline. Isn’t that a rather two-faced position (requiring Enbridge to seek FN buy in but not bothering with FN buy in for Pacific Trails)? I am opposed to Northern Gateway, but am okay with LNG pipeline, however think that the jury is still out on fracking. If done, more attention needs to be paid to doing it as safely as possible. The idea of the waste toxic liquids (left over after the LNG has been removed ) being injected back into the ground sounds risky. Thanks for digging away at this important topic. We need resource income but not at any cost. It seems like our governments, both Federal and Provincial, are less and less interested in protecting human and environmental health (until election time).

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    1. Good points Colin. I do believe some first nations bought into or agreed to the pipeline project… the Haisla of course are actively involved in another LNG project, which Enbridge has been sniffing around trying to find out the terms of to use against them, likely,in their opposition to Enbridges project. Problem is, the Enbridge pipeline and the KLS/ Pacific Trails pipeline use much of the same routing, so it might be hard for some first nations to say no to Enbridge using the argument of spills and clearing right of way… when the LNG pipeline and others are using the same path….

      You see, you are right on about this. Different projects seem to have different requirements. The Wet’suwet’en Nation say they were never asked or consulted about this pipeline going over their land. Why is that?
      As for fracking, yes the jury is out. I find it hard to swallow that an increase in the activity in BC is not going to have any impact on watersheds and bodies of water. To rush ahead into anything gleefully is never the good course of action. With BC getting into LNG so late in the game in comparison to other countries, According to one source I found, ” In 2009, 87 per cent of Canada’s natural gas exports were destined for the U.S., leaving other countries to dominate the global market. Qatar rose to become the world’s largest LNG exporter; Australia, the largest supplier of LNG to China. B.C. will have to carve out its niche.”

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  15. Thank you lots for writing about this.It feels like a lot of people don’t care about whats going to happen to our food streams and dont get how we live here and I didnt see any papers online writing about this sneaky move here by Enbridge. I want to live here and have kids here and have my family here in this place and our people cant afford even one accident. We have lots of support here, even the loggers support us and the drivers.Please keep covering this,ok? Sisters in the fight!

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  16. No thanks needed Tanis! This province belongs to everyone , and there are a lot of people down here who fully support your people in trying to stop the clearing and the pipelines. Courage! As long as the issue continues, I will do updates on it, so no worries!

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  17. Laila: I think the salient point you made of China’s own LNG resources is worth considering. Why are they interested in our reserves when, I have heard, they have ten times as much as us? Whats going to happen to the pipeline when they no longer want our LNG, or don’t want to pay the cost (including pipelines, infrastructure, royalties, developement and PROFIT)?
    Are they perhaps trying to corner the market and then sell it back to us at exhorbitant prices?
    Perhaps, if we used our own resources, without tacking on the HUGE transportation and infrastructure costs, we would better be able to afford a competetive manufacturing industry.
    If we MUST wholesale our resources, lets ship them to the east over much more environmentaly friendly turf – territory we can access WHEN there is a spill.

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    1. Never underestimate the Chinese government and their global strategies. Canada is nearly the only country walking into so many potentially dangerous deals that impact both our sovereignty and defence of technology and other items that should never be viewed by a government like China’s.

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  18. I recently heard of the great surfer song from the 60’s, “Pipeline” used as an intro to a story on the radio about the Enbridge pipeline. I mentioned this to a friend and he suggested that we should also remember another great surfer tune, “Wipeout.”

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  20. The reason as to why I posted the previous comment is because its a miniature version of what Enbridge is proposing, without all the clutter of the media/politicians/Enbridge/BC Oil and Gas Commission/BC Liberal Government/Environment BC/etc…….. Its well worth the read, all of it, including the references on starting on Page 30

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  21. My opposition to this is one-sided;
    § Environmental disaster potential = 100%

    Plus, politicians trying to make their oil buddies more money have sold out to COMMUNISTS.
    Far as I’m concerned Harper and his “ites” should be immediately removed from office on grounds of complete and utter stupidity, placing both people and the environment at risk of imminent danger, and for treasonous actions by selling or participating in sale of Canadian Soil to Communist’s with known human rights abuses who even today thumb their noses at Canadian Laws saying they will dictate to us the terms of the “buyouts” or “partnerships”.

    He sold out. And he should be taken out of office and charged.
    Christy needs to stop posing and just go home already.

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  22. Laila, i dont dispute anything that you say about the petroleum industry and its evils, however everyone one of us support it! The plastics that make up your computer come from pretroleum based products, our cars use petroleum, our home use petroleum, etc, etc, etc the list is endless! there is no getting away from it… No one can point their finger at the oil companies and say that they are the devil, because we all back them in some form or another even YOU!

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    1. Crazy day, hundreds… hundreds of emails!!! You are right, we all back petroleum products even when we don’t realize it. That being said…. Where do we draw the line on fresh water? Where do we draw the line on environmental impact, on local communities for “greater good?” Yes jobs…. dirty water. Yes revenue… tainted ponds….

      We all are users of the petroleum industry whether we know it or not : Cool whip or natural gas. I firmly believe that people like myself will be the turn point for all of it.We inform, with facts, we engage, and we evolve standards because of this… where are you on that scale?

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      1. I cannot disagree with you about the impacts on the environment. i try to minimize my impact with in reason, however i feel that consumer greed will over power anything that you or I or any environmental group can say…

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  23. Laila, Most of the natural gas now produced in north east BC now goes directly to Alberta via a 36 inch pipe. Check out Trans Canada Pipelines for a map of their pipelines. There the gas is sold for approximately 1/5 of the current world price, and in effect helps subsidize Tar Sands production. For every barrel of oil produced in the Tar Sands, approximately 1/3 of a barrel equivalent of natural gas is used. Prices for natural gas in North America are so low at present, that the royalties the BC government collect have sunk to half the regular rate. So if the gas was sold to Asia, the royalties would increase 10 times.
    Add to this, the beneficial effect on the world environment of having that gas displace coal and oil, and I think you should rethink your opposition to this pipeline. Northern Gateway is an abomination- Pacific Trails or one of the other 5 proposed natural gas pipelines are far more defensible.

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  24. Not so defensible when you consider the massive electricy consumption used to process LNG and power LNG plants. Christy Clark has clearly stated, the proposed plants could not operate without the electricty from Site C. I have written on this here, prior to this post. So we aren’t just talking a pipeline when we talk about this…. we are talking about what this pipeline allows and the impact of Site C, the ethical and environmental impacts of flooding some of the best farmland in BC, some of the most beautiful recreation areas of BC and a vital food link for many in the area, via fish, deer, moose, elk who live in the areas alongside the Peace River.

    This is what absolutely galls me about this province. The government and the opposition,look at and seem to present the projects seperately to the people. Like this pipeline has nothing to do with Site C, when the implications of its being built clearly indicate otherwise.

    Well I am not buying it. They are all connected. Remember where you heard that when it happens while people are freaking out wondering how this came to be.

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    1. The connection between LNG exports and Site C exists solely in Christy Clarks head. By far the cheapest way to generate the electricity needed is to construct a natural gas generating plant at Kitimat, so very little transmission network would be required. Electricity produced this way should cost between 5-8 cents per kilowatt hour, approximately half of Site C’s cost.

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      1. Might want to let Ms.Clark know… I am working on a post on this actually or the poor people of the Peace River will be under water…

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        3. OUCH!!! Thanks for the info Herb! I will definately use this in my next post! Being a northern girl, site C is very close to my heart. And I heard some interesting news recently that tells me the environmental assessment is all a sham and its a done deal. Oh wait. We already know that.

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        4. I used the most expensive rates from the U.S. Department of Energy estimates- BC hydro has already estimated Site C power to cost over 14 cents/kilowatt hour. Natural gas generation may well be cheaper than 8.3 cents/kilowatt hr.

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  25. You are right about the electricity needed to process the natural gas for transmission (compress, clean and pump etc.). There is absolutely no reason why the pipeline companies cannot produce their own electricity. It is easily done with gas turbines connected to generating equipment. These can easily be shipped in containerized units and put into production in a fairly short time. The bigger issue as I see it, is the transmission lines and towers.

    If they want the gas then they should be building their own transmission lines and power plants and write the expense off as the cost of doing business.

    This whole frigging energy deal (dilbit and natural gas) stinks to high heaven and benifits the major players – does little or nothing for BC and it’s people, though the BC Lieberal government and federal government would have you believe otherwise.

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    1. The Liberals have promoted natural gas solely as a way to receive massive cash infusions for land bids over the last 10 years. The present day day production of BC natural gas is now being sold at incredibly depressed prices, the equivalent of $18/barrel. If BC were in fact selling oil at that price there would be hell to pay. Somehow selling that gas to Alberta at that price flies under the radar, but it is an incredible waste of our irreplaceable natural resource. Selling it overseas is the only place we can get a fair price for it. Otherwise it flows to Alberta and helps subsidize Tar Sands production.

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  26. It seems most of you are issing the “stealth” part of the “gas” pipeline. Now this may happen and cost us dearly in many ways with the very few and small benefits waved like a flag… but watch for a part of the pipeline to be built that will carry the oil as well. The gas pipeline was expanded in diameter for this purpose, not for the gas, but for oil. there will some sort of ‘twinning” on this.
    more deception on a project that should not be built. The hydro required for the “proposed” LNG plants is more than even site C could deliver. Who pays for the Site C and years of maintenance. cost is about 10 billion with huge maintenance after… we pay, they play. Sad but then in a dictatorship, not much removed form a 3rd world country, it’s what we get…..
    NDP is NOT an option, not in the least.
    I’m committed to real change and will run as an Independent in the next election.

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  30. […] The fracked gas line would traverse the mountain ranges of Wet’suwet’en territory on the… This is not news– but the Gateway Pipeline is now created in the public mind as the means to blocking tar sands, fighting back against climate change and restoring some level of democratic accountability. But where is the democracy in shunting aside fracking, endorsing the privatization of river systems for “green energy,” including participation in the “Green energy taskforce” of the Campbell government that ultimately endorsed the creation of the “Site C” dam? […]

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