A deal between the provincial and federal governments to roll environmental assessments into one process is bad news, according to the Wilderness Committee.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed Friday, B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) will handle all environmental assessments – including the procedural aspects of Aboriginal consultations – in the province to avoid duplication.

In the past, the EAO and its federal equivalent (the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency) would conduct their own independent reviews.

Projects still need to gain approval from both levels of government, but the decisions will be based on the same report prepared by the EAO.

“It’s a move in the wrong direction,” said Wilderness Committee policy director Gwen Barlee on Sunday. “B.C. has done a poor job ensuring projects are meeting environmental standards. It really is a race to the bottom.”

Barlee worries that the lack of federal oversight will mean potentially dangerous projects will be green lit.

She points to Taseko’s proposed Prosperity Gold and Copper Mine as an example why a second opinion would be necessary.

The province’s own environmental assessment gave the project a pass, but it was put on hold in late 2010 after the federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency found the project put wildlife in Fish Lake at significant risk.

“Would they have come to that conclusion if they only looked at the B.C. report?” Barlee asked.

With the government aggressively chasing mining and liquefied natural gas revenues, Barlee worries the memorandum will just help controversial projects get fast-tracked.

Photo: Fish Lake, the proposed location of Taseko's New Prosperity Mine.