The future of liquified natural gas in B.C. was a major plank in the Liberal party's recent election platform and now the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council wants to know more about the government's plans.
Council chief Terry Teegee is calling for a meeting with Premier Christy Clark to talk about the proposal to build a series of natural gas pipelines from the Peace region to the north coast as well as plants to convert the gas into liquid form for export to foreign markets.
"One of the big promises was that we're going to get all of these [liquified natural gas] plants and pipelines through and this is going to be an economic boom for the province, yet they really haven't talked to any of the First Nations - at least those that I represent - and our people haven't heard fully about the projects themselves," Teegee said.
Clark's government has pledged to act quickly on natural gas exports, citing the need to compete with other countries like Australia and the United States who are also seeking to get their resources to market. During the campaign Clark repeatedly said that it's possible the royalties from natural gas extraction could eventually eliminate the provincial debt.
Many of the proposed gas pipelines would traverse the traditional territories of First Nations who are members of the Carrier Sekani organization and Teegee said it's up to the provincial government to engage First Nations groups in discussions.
"The onus is on them to come forward and present these projects to our people so we can make an informed decision," he said.
Teegee said his group is not opposed to development outright, but still have many questions about exporting natural gas. He said his people are worried about fragmentation of the land due to the possibility of new pipelines being built and how those linear features would impact wildlife. There are also concerns about the increase of tanker traffic on the coast if the terminals are built in either Kitimat or Prince Rupert, as well as the impact the extraction process has on those living in the northeast of the province.
Although the plans have been on the table for a long time, Teegee said he's never met with Clark or any senior government official about plans for liquified natural gas in B.C.
"We've met with some lower-level bureaucrats in regards to some of these pipelines," he said.
Teegee is hoping that will change soon and would like to arrange a meeting for soon after the new cabinet is unveiled, likely early next month.
"Not only can we hear [Clark] out, she can also hear us and our side of the story," he said. "The sooner she talks to us, the quicker we can make an informed decision on whether we will approve these projects or not."
As of Monday afternoon, Teegee had yet to receive a response from the province about his meeting request.
