Days after the Squamish Nation laid out its top five conditions that have to be met before it will give its nod to the proposed Woodfibre LNG facility in Squamish, the company pushed pause on its Environmental Assessment Review Period.
“Call them the Top Five,” said Nation lawyer Aaron Bruce in a news release about the Nation's conditions Saturday. “Bottom line here is that Squamish Nation will simply not approve the Woodfibre LNG proposal unless all of these conditions are addressed and resolved — to the Squamish Nation’s satisfaction.”
Those conditions are:
1. More information on the seawater cooling discharge system, including potential immediate and cumulative impacts upon marine life in Howe Sound from discharges of warm, chlorinated water and the potential for small fish to be harmed by the intake system. The Nation also wants information about potential alternative technologies and the impacts of those technologies upon marine life in the sound.
2. The project must avoid the Skwelwil’em Wildlife Management Area (WMA). In particular, the project proponents must commit to a drilled underground pipeline that starts and exits outside of the WMA or avoids the WMA altogether.
3. The FortisBC compressor station must be relocated to a location that poses no risk to Squamish members living on any Indian Reserve in Squamish Nation territory.
4. Nation members must have access through the Controlled Access Zone of the Project to allow for Squamish Nation practice of aboriginal rights.
5. Insurance coverage or a bond must be obtained to cover risks of personal loss and injury costs for Squamish Nation members in the event of an accident that brings harm to Nation members, such as damage from a spill, explosion or other industrial or marine accident.
Woodfibre LNG officials must be legally bound to fulfill the conditions, before the Nation will support the proposed liquefied natural gas export facility slated for about six kilometres southwest of Squamish, according to the release. “The conditions are needed to protect sensitive land and marine habitat in the Squamish estuary, in Howe Sound and beyond – all in Squamish Nation traditional territory,” said Bruce.
If the proponents of the project were daunted by the Nation's conditions, they didn’t show it at the time.
FortisBC spokesman Trevor Boudreau said Saturday (June 27) that his company had been involved with the Squamish Nation’s independent planning process. “The five major conditions outlined by the Nation demonstrate strong protections for the land, water and their community. We will continue to engage with the Nation on the issues and concerns they raise,” said Boudreau.
Also on Saturday Woodfibre LNG’s vice-president of corporate affairs Byng Giraud said he looked forward to formally receiving the final report so the company could review and understand the conditions fully. “The Squamish Nation has announced a set of conditions for our proposed project that reflects their longstanding promise to protect the land, water and heritage of the Woodfibre site,” Giraud said.
Tuesday afternoon Woodfibre announced it had asked for and was granted a temporary suspension of the 180-day Environmental Assessment Review Period.
The company made the request to allow it time to further engage with the Squamish Nation on its conditions, according to a news release.
The review period had been scheduled to end on July 13.
In addition to the top five condisitons, there are 20 others, according to Bruce. “Issuing these conditions is quite significant in that the Squamish Nation has been able to identify what environmental issues are important to them and determine how these issues should be addressed from its perspective. The provincial and federal Environmental Assessment processes simply don’t allow for that.”
The Squamish Nation chiefs and council will still vote on accepting or rejecting the proposal at the end of July, according to the release.
The nation did its own independent assessment of the project. A technical review of all aspects of the project from a First Nations’ point of view was done, according to a nation spokesman.
At least four meetings on the project were for the Nation’s 4,000 members over the last several months.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said she applauded the Squamish Nation on their response and conditions.
“As a titleholder and First Nation they are in a unique position in this regard and I personally admire their conviction and their goal to ensure the safety of their members and protection of the environment, particularly the marine environment and the Skwelwil’em Wildlife Management Area of our estuary,” she said.
“We will be keenly scrutinizing how Woodfibre LNG and Fortis respond to their steadfast conditions.”
This story has been updated since it was first posted to reflect unfolding events.
