The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois demand that Ottawa end the federal environmental assessment of the LNG Quebec project, which must be the subject of a report to be published after the election next Monday. Environmental groups who opposed the construction of the gas plant in Saguenay also believe that it “completely absurd” to continue examining the project, after its rejection by the government of Quebec.
The duty revealed Monday that the promoters of GNL Québec have requested the continuation of the environmental assessment conducted by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (AEIC), as permitted by the rules in force.
This means that the body will continue his analysis of the project, despite the fact that the Quebec government has decided to block realization. A “preliminary report” containing in particular “potential conditions” for the construction of the liquefaction plant and the maritime terminal will therefore be published in the coming weeks, the AEIC said. This report will be subject to a 30-day public consultation period.
Reacting in the morning on Monday, the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, Benoit Charette, reaffirmed that the door was definitively closed in Quebec for this project first defended by several ministers of the Legault government. “The proponent may well wish that the federal government continue its assessment, but the project will not see the light of day since it does not meet Quebec environmental requirements. We also reiterate the need to have only one environmental assessment per project, ”he wrote on Twitter.
The Bloc Québécois has also urged Ottawa to put an end to the evaluation conducted under the aegis of the AEIC. “The Quebec government has given up on this project. We invite the Liberals to put an end to this study and concentrate their efforts on promising projects for the development of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, such as our forest development plan ”, argued the Bloc’s environment critic, Monique Pauzé. “Regional economic development can rhyme with social acceptability. “
On the side of the NDP, it is also believed that the evaluation of the project must cease. “The NDP has been clear, we are against GNL Quebec and we will put an end to the environmental assessment,” argued the deputy leader of the party, Alexandre Boulerice.
At the time of publishing this text in the early evening, Monday, Liberal Party of Canada and the Conservative Party of Canada had not answered our questions sent in the morning.
GNL Quebec still has three active lobbyists registered in the Quebec registry. The registry website indicates that the declaration was amended on August 13, with the withdrawal of two lobbyists. Gazoduq has five active lobbyists and the statement was also amended in August, with the withdrawal of two lobbyists.
” Lack of respect “
For the environmental groups who campaigned against the realization of the LNG Quebec project, the decision to continue the federal assessment “is a serious lack of respect for a decision of the Quebec government duly supported by a rigorous environmental analysis”.
By press release, the groups also judge that the idea of continuing the procedures “is completely absurd and constitutes a waste of time and public funds which should rather be invested in the energy transition, far from fossil fuels, and help workers to transit towards non-polluting jobs ”.
Director of domestic policies for the Climate Action Network Canada, Caroline Brouillette took the opportunity Monday to call again for the rejection of “all new and proposed fossil energy projects that currently go through the federal evaluation system.” The LNG Quebec project is one of them, she stressed.
Ms. Brouillette recalled that the international energy agency has already advocated earlier this year for the end of new oil, natural gas and coal projects.
GHGs and ships excluded
If humanity is to give itself a chance to limit global warming, the vast majority of untapped fossil fuels must remain in the ground, a study further concludes. published last week in the journal Nature. The study should thus put a cross on the projects of exploitation of oil and gas “unconventional” must be put aside. However, Canada’s growing gas production is made possible through fracking. It is this type of gas that justifies the development of liquefaction projects for export by ship, such as the LNG Quebec project.
However, the Énergie Saguenay project is assessed under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act revised by Stephen Harper’s conservatives in 2012 (CEAA 2012). The guidelines sent to the proponent for the preparation of its impact study therefore stipulated that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced “upstream”, mainly during the exploitation of natural gas, “are not considered. as part of the project for the purposes of the environmental assessment ”.
“Therefore, the Minister [de l’Environnement] will not make a decision under CEAA 2012 to determine whether […] these greenhouse gas emissions produced upstream are likely to cause significant negative environmental effects, and these activities will not be subject to the conditions imposed on the promoter by a decision statement authorizing the execution of the project ”, specify the lines guidelines.
This means that the future federal Minister of the Environment will not be able to take into account, in his decision whether or not to authorize the project, of the few seven million tonnes of GHGs attributable each year to the extraction and transportation of Alberta gas, exploited primarily by fracking. Maritime export, by LNG tanker, is not considered either. “As part of the project for the purposes of the environmental assessment” since it “escapes the responsibility and control of GNL Québec”. However, the AEIC has promised that this will be taken into account in the “cumulative environmental effects assessment”.
Watch video
Reference-feedproxy.google.com