Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga'a Lisims Government, said the proposed rerouting would address environmental concerns raised by other Indigenous groups.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
A controversial pipeline project is seeking regulatory approval to shorten its proposed route across northern British Columbia, hoping to overcome opposition to plans for transporting natural gas.
The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) project, backed by the Nisga’a Nation in northwest B.C., expects the changes would reduce the route’s length by nearly 60 kilometres in Treaty 8 territory in northeast B.C.
Eva Clayton, elected president of the Nisga’a Lisims government, said the rerouting is designed to address environmental concerns raised by other Indigenous groups and avoid sensitive caribou habitat.
“PRGT heard from Treaty 8 leaders, respected their deep and historic knowledge of the land, and made this proposed route adjustment,” Ms. Clayton said this week during a webcast organized by the BC Environmental Assessment Office.
PRGT, co-owned by the Nisga’a and Houston-based Western LNG, is currently seeking approval from the provincial regulator to shorten the northeast portion of the route. The public comment period for the proposed amendment began on Oct. 15 and ends on Nov. 14.
In another amendment application, the pipeline project is requesting permission to shorten the West Coast section of the route by about 100 kilometres.
PRGT has until Nov. 25 to “substantially start” construction on Nisga’a territory to prevent its environmental assessment certificate from expiring.
The pipeline is designed to feed the $10-billion Ksi Lisims LNG project, which is undergoing an environmental review for exporting liquefied natural gas. Floating production facilities are scheduled to be opened by Ksi Lisims on Pearse Island in 2029, with other vessels exporting LNG to Asia.
The facilities would be located on Nisga’a-owned property on the West Coast. The Nisga’a, Western LNG and a group of natural gas producers called Rockies LNG are partners in the Ksi Lisims project near Gitlaxt’aamiks, which is home to the Nisga’a Lisims government.
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PRGT was originally intended to run roughly 900 kilometres from northeastern B.C., where there are fracking operations to extract natural gas, to the now-defunct Pacific NorthWest LNG project near Prince Rupert. The proposed changes would result in a new pipeline length of about 750 kilometres.
Ms. Clayton said she is proud that the Nisga’a have decision-making powers over PRGT. “We are making choices that reflect our values and our duty as stewards of the land,” she said.
She made the comments one day after Gitanyow hereditary chiefs announced that they had applied in B.C. Supreme Court for a judicial review into Ksi Lisims.
The Gitanyow petitioners cite a failure by the BC Environmental Assessment Office to adequately consult with them on issues such as the risks posed by Ksi Lisims to salmon in the Nass River.
The respondent is the regulator’s chief executive assessment officer.
Other critics of PRGT and Ksi Lisims include members of the Gitxsan Nation and the Lax Kw’alaams Band.
While Ms. Clayton is touting PRGT and Ksi Lisims, a new report on LNG prospects in B.C. casts doubt on the economic viability of exporting the fuel from Canada.
The Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, which are among the environmental and climate groups criticizing PRGT and Ksi Lisims, commissioned the analysis by financial think tank Carbon Tracker.
“The investment case to be made for new LNG projects in B.C. has become increasingly tenuous and investors need to consider the prudency of constructing new terminals or expanding existing ones,” according to the report titled Turning Tides.
Ksi Lisims wants to become the fourth LNG export project to be under construction in Canada, after LNG Canada in Kitimat, B.C.; Woodfibre LNG near Squamish, B.C.; and Cedar LNG in Kitimat. LNG Canada, which plans to start exports to Asia by mid-2025, is considering a Phase 2 expansion.
There have been delays with other plans in B.C.’s fledgling LNG sector, including FortisBC’s expansion plans at its domestic Tilbury LNG site in Delta.
LNG projects in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Mozambique have lower costs than those in B.C., said the report by London-based Carbon Tracker. “A glut of new supply coming to market, combined with demand trending downward in global LNG markets, could see LNG prices fall in the future.”