In a stunning about-face, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority may be backing away from a plan to become North America's largest coal exporter.

That's one possible interpretation of the port authority's decision to cancel a project permit to Fraser Surrey Docks to develop a coal transfer station.

In 2015 in its role as a regulator of land use, the port authority issued a project permit, subject to 83 conditions. It allowed this proposed transfer station to handle up to four million metric tonnes of coal per year.

At the time, the public was told there was potential to increase shipments to eight million metric tonnes of coal annually.

This week, the permit was cancelled because one of those conditions was not met—substantial progress on construction had not been demonstrated by November 30, 2018.

This coal was going to be brought in by the BNSF railway from the United States. BNSF is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett's holding company.

Ecojustice spent several years fighting the project in court on behalf of the Communities and Coal Society, Voters Taking Action on Climate Change, and two private citizens.

They lost their case in the Federal Court in January 2018.

Today, Ecojustice lawyer Fraser Thompson called the port authority's decision to cancel the permit "a win for the climate and a testament to what can be achieved when community members stand up and say no to dirty U.S. coal".

“Coal has been linked to serious health effects and is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet," Thompson said. |Burning coal for electricity has no place is a world serious about fighting climate change and leaving a livable planet for our children.”

In 2012, the Straight published an article noting that the if all the proposed expansions were to occur, it would make Metro Vancouver the largest coal exporter in North America.

One of those leading the environmental fight against the expansion of coal-transfer facilities, Kevin Washbrook of Voters Taking Action on Climate Change, likened it to walking off a cliff.

"This stuff just can't be built if you're legitimately considering the impacts to the planet," Washbrook said at the time.

The project was also opposed by health officials and major figures in the North American environmental movement, including 350.org cofounder Bill McKibben and climate scientist James Hansen.

Proponent warned of economic hardship if permit vetoed

The CEO of Fraser Surrey Docks, Jeff Scott told the Straight in 2014 that the project addressed concerns of its neighbours and "delivers environmental standards that we all expect and deserve".

Scott also talked up the economic benefits, saying it would create 25 full-time jobs and another 25 jobs along the supply chain.

"We have sustained a pretty significant downturn in business over the last five years," Scott said at the time, "and without this project our future would be in jeopardy.”

Fraser Surrey Docks is the "largest modern multi-purpose marine terminal on the West Coast of North America", according to its website.

It has seven berths and handles between 300 to 400 Panamax-size vessels every year.

The cancellation of the permit could have political implications in the 2019 federal election, even though the port authority board operates at an arm's length from the Liberal government.

Residents of Surrey and Delta, in particular, were upset about the coal transfer facility being built.

Currently, the Trudeau Liberals hold all federal seats in Surrey and Delta. This has been a shocking turnaround from the past when the Conservatives usually won most of these seats, with the NDP only picking up one or two of them.

By cancelling the permit, the port authority has ensured that construction of the coal transfer station won't be an issue when Liberal MPs Carla Qualtrough, Ken Hardie, Randeep Sarai, Sukh Dhaliwal, Gordon Hogg, and John Aldag seek reelection later this year.