Climate activists say B.C. needs to conduct new assessment for natural gas pipeline

The B.C. government needs to conduct a new environmental assessment for a pipeline project that would transport natural gas across the province, climate activists say in court affidavits.

The proposal to pipe natural gas to the West Coast from fracking operations in northeast B.C. dates back to 2014.

The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) project is co-owned 50-50 by the Nisga’a Nation and Houston-based Western LNG. They acquired the pipeline project from Calgary-based TC Energy Corp. TRP-T last year.

The PRGT route was originally intended to extend nearly 900 kilometres from northeast B.C. to Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, and supply natural gas to Pacific NorthWest LNG. Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas cancelled the Pacific NorthWest joint venture in 2017.

Under revised plan