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No rush for oil and gas

If we export offshore as quickly as possible to maximize profits in the short run, our fuel prices are certain to rise

Dear Sir:

It is unfortunate and logically incorrect for critics of Northern Gateway or LNG proposals to be labelled “hypocrites” if they drive a vehicle or heat their homes with natural gas (e.g., letter to the editor in the March 5, 2014 The Terrace Standard).

It is precisely because we use those resources, and they are essentially non-renewable, that we should develop them prudently for our use (at reasonable prices) and for the sake of future generations. Conversely, if we export them offshore as quickly as possible to maximize profits in the short run, our fuel prices are certain to rise and our children and grandchildren will have fewer options in terms of resource development and industrial expansion.

If we leave it in the ground, oil and gas is only going to be more valuable in the future, so what is the rush? Those who tout the so-called “need” to export (or bemoan a so-called “loss” of profits if we don’t) are truly the disingenuous ones.

Phil Burton, Terrace, B.C.