Clear support for LNG project

A week after the government of B.C. announced Ànal approval has been given for a $40-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and pipeline project in Northern BC, a new poll by Insights West shows a solid level of support for the project among B.C. residents (62 per cent, including 33 per cent who “strongly” support it). One quarter of B.C. residents (25 per cent) oppose the project, while the rest are unsure (13 per cent).

This poll was conducted just days before an Enbridge natural gas line ruptured north of Prince George.

Support for the LNG project is highest among males (75 per cent), residents aged 55 and older (75 per cent) and those with incomes over $75,000 (71 per cent). Support is equally strong across all regions of the province.

In the past, support of LNG projects has wavered. However, overall public support for large-scale energy projects appears to be on the rise.

Previous Insights West polls showed half of B.C. residents supporting a project like this in August of 2013 (50 per cent), but this number dipped to 43 per cent by March 2016.

Compared to other proposed largescale projects, support for this LNG project (62 per cent) is much higher than what we saw for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion (51 per cent) in May — a number that has also been increasing.

For comparison, overall support for the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline was 40 per cent in August 2016 and 35 per cent for the Enbridge Northern Gateway project, while 39 per cent of British Columbians supported construction of the Site C dam in October 2016.

“There seems to have been a decisive shift in the minds of British Columbians when it comes to support for large-scale energy-related investment projects in the province,” said Steve Mossop, president of Insights West. “Our latest poll showing 62 per cent support for the Kitimat project is one of the highest we’ve seen in several years of comparative tracking on a number of other initiatives.”

British Columbians are now more likely to agree that the LNG plant and pipeline project will bring signiÀcant beneÀts all residents (32 per cent). A further 40 per cent agree that the development and expansion of LNG will bring benefits to some communities in B.C. but not to all B.C. residents.

Regardless of whether people support or oppose the decision, nearly all agree that there are a number of beneÀts to this project:

— 90 per cent agree (45 per cent strongly) that it will create new jobs

— 87 per cent agree that it will create new capital investment

— 86 per cent agree that it will support economic growth

— 78 per cent agree it will lead to increased tax revenue

— 72 per cent agree it will lead to strong relationships with Asian countries

— 70 per cent agree that it will beneÀt indigenous communities

— On the Áip side, there are a number of concerns that this project brings:

— 65 per cent agree that it will promote further dependence on fossil fuels

— 64 per cent agree that there will be a risk of an LNG spill

— 62 per cent agree that it will have a negative impact on CO2 emissions

— 61 per cent agree that pipeline construction will have a negative impact on the environment

Results are based on an online study conducted Oct. 6-8 among a representative sample of 1,309 adults. The data has been statistically weighted according to census Àgures. The margin of error is 2.7 percentage points.