With the arrival of the outdoor grilling season there are a couple of ways to satisfy a craving for a hot potato. You can wrap a spud in tinfoil and fire up the barbie, or just start a conversation at any local watering hole, or doughnut emporium, about the notion of a liquefied natural gas plant at the former Woodfibre mill location.
As would be expected, promotional announcements issued by the proponent, Woodfibre LNG, are filled with rosy promises and the kind of excitement associated with a Lady Gaga sighting. This past winter the company held a series of information meetings and solicited online feedback. The results are available in the Woodfibre LNG Project Consultation Summary Report. More recently, a well-attended forum called, “Boom or Bust? B.C.’s LNG Legacy” was hosted by a group of concerned local residents. With the environmental assessment process underway, additional avenues for community participation are planned.
A wide spectrum of viewpoints has lit up the blogosphere, ranging from the well-researched and insightful to dubious claims and ad hominem jousting. Anybody searching for a thorough analysis of the controversial proposal will find only limited information in bulletins emanating from the District of Squamish.
A similar level of superficial input has come from council, an assembly that appears to be increasingly occupied with rogue skateboard parks, backyard chickens, urban campfire permits, and fast food drive-throughs.
But let’s cut to the chase here, folks. A major reason councillors have taken a Trappist vow of silence regarding the LNG installation is because they are worried about losing votes in the upcoming municipal election. However, faced with unanswered questions bubbling to the surface almost daily and a growing level of public unease, at council’s request the DOS has appointed a committee whose mandate is to assess the ramifications of the project and report to stakeholders.
Woodfibre LNG’s assurance of running its refrigerant compressors with electric power, instead of natural gas, has done little to appease some members of the community who turned out in large numbers to protest the venture. And two weeks ago the Village of Lions Bay council called for a ban on LNG tankers in Howe Sound.
Ultimately, the ongoing debate over proceeding with the facility, or sending the proponents packing, has all the attributes of an academic exercise. We know an enhanced B.C. liquefied natural gas footprint has been on Premier Christy Clark’s radar for some time now. And, as many observers have come to realize, what Christy wants, Christy usually gets.
