Dear Editor,
It has come to our attention that rumours are being passed around town that Kitimat Terrace Clean Air Coalition is against the LNG Canada project. We have never stated this, and would like to offer the following statement as clarification of our “intentions”.
Kitimat Terrace Clean Air Coalition (KTCAC) is concerned about air pollution in the Kitimat airshed which also impacts Terrace. We believe industrial development needs to proceed with the best possible practices in order to protect people’s health and to protect our environment in this restricted airshed. We want LNG Canada to improve their project as much as possible. We are not trying to stop it. Our position is identical to the previous and current provincial government – this proposed facility needs to be “the cleanest LNG facility in the world.”
LNG Canada has made progress in reducing emissions from the project by committing to utilize power (approximately 20 per cent) from the BC Hydro grid. However, a significant amount of nitrogen oxide pollution would still be produced by the gas turbines powering the refrigeration units. These LNG Canada emissions would be in addition to the 42 tonnes per day of sulphur dioxide that Rio Tinto has been permitted to emit into the air shed.
Nitrogen oxides have similar health and environmental impacts as the sulphur dioxide pollution being emitted by Rio Tinto. These include acid rain, increases in heart and lung disease, and increased rates of cancer.
KTCAC is calling on LNG Canada to install combined gas/electric powered refrigeration units, so they can use clean electricity from the BC Hydro grid, instead of being locked into burning large volumes of gas for the life of the project (30 - 40 years). We ask that the facility increase its use of clean electricity as more power becomes available from sources such as the new Site C dam. This approach would significantly reduce health and environmental impacts on our local community, and would make LNG Canada the “cleanest LNG facility in the world.”
Kitimat Terrace Clean Air Coalition