Full facts needed on natural gas

Re: “LNG a chance to transform B.C.’s economy,” July 26.

Rich Coleman, minister of natural gas development, failed to outline liquefied natural gas’s full transformative potential for B.C.. Here’s what else British Columbians have to look forward to: • Shale gas from northeast B.C. will be the primary source of gas for liquefication. Localized impacts of development, including habitat degradation and fragmentation, are occurring in a biodiversity hotspot. • This risks negatively affecting local tourism, and more importantly the treaty rights of Treaty 8 First Nations. In the absence of cumulative-effects assessments and landscape-scale monitoring, it’s impossible to know how profound the impacts will be. • While Coleman claims that groundwater is being adequately protected, he fails to mention that we are the only province that does not regulate groundwater use, or have adequate knowledge of our groundwater resources to ensure its protection, according to the B.C. auditor gen- eral. Additionally, surface water accounts for about 70 per cent of water used in hydraulic fracturing. • The assertion that exporting LNG to Asia will offset global greenhouse-gas emissions is highly contested. Even if accepted, it doesn’t negate the fact that B.C. will be unable to meet its own carbon-reduction targets. • Lastly, natural-gas demand is anticipated to rise, but so is supply. Other countries are also vying for Asian markets. By the time B.C. has LNG facilities up and running, we may have billions invested in infrastructure for an economically unviable industry.

If British Columbians are going to benefit from LNG, the government needs to start making decisions based on all the facts. Kate Garvin Victoria