B.C. officers $116 million LNG royalty credits; environmental report cites LNG carbon pollution

VICTORIA – The B.C. government is offering royalty credits of almost $116 million to help companies build roads and pipelinesfor the natural gas industry in the province’s northeast.

The announcement comes on the same day as the release of a major environmental report urging the government to stick to its pledge to build the cleanest liquefied natural gas industry in the world.

The Tides Canada report says the current plans by the LNG industry wouldwill emit three-times more carbon into the atmosphere than other world-leading LNG operations.

B.C.’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Act of 2007 puts into law the cutting of such gas emissions by at least 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020.

The Liberals say the royalty credits will go towards 12 new infrastructure projects in northeast B.C. that will eventually advance the growth of LNG development in B.C.

Last week, Premier Christy Clark offered municipal leaders from northwest B.C. concerned about an LNG-driven population boom $150,000 to conduct studies on their hospital, school, sewer, road, bridge and social needs.