VANCOUVER / UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh AND səlilwətaɬ TERRITORIES — Premier John Horgan announced an update to the province’s CleanBC climate plan today that offers little detail for how the oil and gas sector will reach its target of 33 to 38 per cent reductions by 2030. Originally promised for the end of 2020, this long-overdue update only commits to “set a policy framework.” 

“A target on its own is not a plan,” said Climate Campaigner Peter McCartney. “It now appears we won’t actually see how the Horgan government intends to deal with growing pollution from fracking and LNG until five years after it rolled out the red carpet for LNG Canada.”

CleanBC’s modelling includes emissions from the first phase of the LNG Canada project, but not from the next phase or for the Woodfibre LNG facility or three other LNG plants currently starting environmental assessments. Even as Wet’suwet’en land defenders disrupt construction of a fracked gas pipeline on their territory, CleanBC leaves the door open to more proposals.

“What happens if and when Shell wants to finish the $40 billion LNG plant it’s building in Kitimat? How does this plan prevent them from doing that?” asked McCartney. “And if they don’t plan to allow any more LNG facilities — why not just say so?”

Many of the policies mirror promises the federal government made in the last election, like the increase to the carbon tax, more stringent methane regulations and the acceleration of the electric vehicle mandate. CleanBC includes many welcome measures such as mode share targets for walking, cycling and transit and the elimination of slash burning by 2030. But it could go further by banning new gas utility connections and setting a date to end new gas well permits.

“CleanBC does not reflect the urgency of the climate crisis,” said McCartney. “Even as our communities burn to the ground and our most vulnerable succumb to record temperatures, the BC NDP government is still trying to appease the fracking companies who are responsible.”

Wilderness Committee is one of almost 250 groups calling for an emergency response to the climate crisis with 10 concrete actions to slash carbon pollution as required to avert catastrophe.
 

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For more information, please contact:

Peter McCartney, Climate Campaigner
778-239-1935, peter@wildernesscommittee.org