FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES/VANCOUVER – Sierra Club BC Organizer David Quigg offers the following statement in reaction to the approval of this new fracked gas pipeline:

“The continued expansion of oil and gas infrastructure in British Columbia is fundamentally incompatible with the province’s climate commitments. It is deeply disappointing that a new gas pipeline is approved while tragic wildfires are devastating communities and forcing people from their homes.

“The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline and associated LNG projects will lock in decades of fossil fuel combustion and make it even more difficult for B.C. to meet its legislated climate targets. More fracked gas contributes to the climate crisis already impacting communities across the province and across Canada. LNG is not a “clean” transition fuel: the fracking process to obtain it releases significant amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.

“The planned pipeline will cross more than 1,000 creeks, streams and rivers, threatening critical habitats for salmon and caribou and risking the health and safety of local communities. Premier Eby was right when he said, “We cannot continue to expand fossil fuel infrastructure and hit our climate goals.” Climate breakdown is at our doorstep, and we need to be building Canadian-owned renewable energy, not investing in fracked gas projects and infrastructure that harm our communities and our chance at a livable future.

“Instead of building new fossil fuel infrastructure, B.C. should build on its renewable energy investments—wind, geothermal, and storage technologies that create long-term jobs, reduce emissions, respect Indigenous rights and steer us toward a climate-safe and sustainable energy future.”

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