My Sea to Sky applauds council decision on Woodfibre LNG

My Sea to Sky is lauding the decision of the Squamish council to not support an extension for the Environmental Certificate for Woodfibre LNG.

The council recently voted 4-3 to pass a motion saying the Disitrict of Squamish won’t support the extension of the certificate unless the extension includes a condition that Woodfibre LNG must meet the IPCC targets for its operation within the District of Squamish to reduce its GHG emissions by 45% by 2030 and 100% by 2050.”

The company has applied to extend the certificate for another five years, which expires this October.

“The District of Squamish has demonstrated real climate leadership by highlighting the climate impacts of Woodfibre LNG, which will increase local greenhouse gas pollution by 142,100 tonnes of CO2-equivalent every year. That is ~1.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire community of Squamish,” said Tracey Saxby, the executive director of My Sea to Sky.

“This decision sends a clear message to the province that every individual, every business, and every industry needs to do their part to ensure we achieve the climate targets identified by the 2018 IPCC report.”

Saxby said the world has changed since Woodfibre LNG first received their environmental assessment certificate in 2015.

“We need to critically reassess whether Woodfibre LNG should be granted an extension to their environmental assessment certificate given the changes to local, provincial, and federal policies, new and emerging scientific understanding, and the implications of developing new fossil fuel infrastructure in a climate emergency,” she said.