CTV: Environment Minister Mary Polak says new legislation governing greenhouse gas emissions from liquefied natural gas plants sets pollution benchmarks that will establish the British Columbia industry as the cleanest in the world. Polak tabled the Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act Monday, saying B.C.’s emission benchmarks will be lower than any other LNG facility in the world.
Environmental groups have raised concerns about increased GHG emissions associated with extracting and burning natural gas. Many have suggested permitting LNG plants to run with natural gas will blow the province’s legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, which call for emission reductions of one-third within the next six years. The B.C. limit set is .16 tonnes of carbon dioxide for each tonne of LNG produced. It includes all GHG emissions from the point where gas enters a facility to when it is loaded onto a ship or rail car.
Global: [Polak] said it will test legislated GHG emission targets, which have been set at one-third below 2007 levels by 2020, and the province will also consider cutting emissions in sectors, such as transportation and construction. Polak said the government estimates five B.C. LNG plants will create 13-million tonnes of GHG emissions, adding to B.C.’s current annual GHG emissions of 62 million tonnes.
“It is going to be a challenge, no question. Sure, it’s going to be really difficult but it means we’re going to have to be drilling down more and more on the everyday things that we can do to reduce GHG emissions.” -Environment Minister Mary Polak
Opposition politicians labelled the proposed law an attempt to hoodwink British Columbians about the amount of pollution the plants will emit.
“Saying one thing and doing another, where they claim that day is night and night is day, where they claim that brown is green and that standing up for the environment is what they’re doing.” Opposition Environment Critic Spencer Chandra Herbert