VICTORIA, B.C. — Ahead of the anticipated Federal announcement on the Trans Mountain expansion project, the B.C. Green caucus has released the following statement:
“The Federal Liberal government has the opportunity to make the right decision and announce that they are not going forward with the Trans Mountain expansion project,” said Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party. “Climate change is happening now and further fossil fuel development threatens the health and well-being of all Canadians, now and into the future.”
Former Environment Minister David Anderson recently argued in a letter to Cabinet that there is no business case for the expansion, as the Asian market that is so often referenced as the justification for this project doesn’t exist for Alberta bitumen.
“No compelling business case has been made for the Trans Mountain expansion, with Kinder Morgan offloading the risk onto the Canadian taxpayer. It would be a reckless decision with taxpayers’ money to forge ahead with building this pipeline in the face of all of the evidence against it.
“The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report made it crystal clear: we have a decade to drastically reduce our fossil fuel consumption. Building a new pipeline for diluted bitumen with a lifespan of 40 to 50 years is utterly incompatible with our responsibility as elected leaders to respond to the biggest crisis we face.
“As elected leaders, we must act immediately and with courage to make the urgent transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean, sustainable economy. We can make the changes demanded of us and create widespread prosperity as we do so. Canada’s global reputation, and the future we leave for our children, are on the line.”
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