Provincial EAO will collaborate with Squamish to address concerns over Woodfibre LNG

In a letter to Mayor Hurford and Council, Kelly Wintemute, an executive director at the provincial Environmental Assessment Officer, said the EAO will work with District staff to establish regular meetings to resolve critical issues related to Woodfibre LNG. Her letter acknowledged the need for improved communication between the EAO, Woodfibre LNG General Partner Inc., and the District of Squamish.

Read the entire letter below:

Dear Mayor Hurford and Council:

I am writing in response to your November 2 and 20, 2023, and February 12, 2024, letters respecting the topics of:

1. The Woodfibre LNG Community Services Infrastructure and Management Plan
2. Amendment #3 of Environmental Assessment Certificate #E15-02
3. The Construction Marine Transportation Management and Monitoring Plan.

The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) recognizes that the District of Squamish (District) participation in the Woodfibre LNG environmental assessment process has been and is critical to understanding potential effects and mitigations for the project and that involvement has been time and resource-intensive for the District staff.

As noted in the respective letters, the volume of management plan review tasks and issues identified by the District indicate a need for improved communication between the EAO, Woodfibre LNG General Partner Inc. and the District.

I am pleased to let you know that the EAO staff are actively working with the District staff to establish regular meetings to discuss and seek resolution on key issues, including the ones you have recently identified. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the District staff, in partnership with the EAO’s Management Plan Team, to ensure interests and concerns are addressed and that the Management Plans adapt to the District’s interests.

Through regular sequencing of meetings with the District staff, the EAO wishes to develop a process where issues related to the Woodfibre LNG project can be resolved in an agreeable and timely manner. Lastly, we are aware you expressed concerns about whether air pollution would have been considered in the environmental assessment review for Woodfibre LNG. We wish to share the attached summary highlighting how air quality and human health were assessed in the Woodfibre LNG ecological assessment. I hope this addresses outstanding concerns related to flaring from Liquefied Natural Gas facilities and related impacts to air quality. The EAO staff will share this summary with the District staff as well.