Forest fires distract attention from Christy Clark government's LNG deal

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      Tomorrow, the legislature resumes in Victoria just as the province is enduring a horrid wildfire season.

      Homes and cabins in many areas of B.C. are threatened, with some of the worst damage occurring as a result of the Puntzi Lake wildfire near Williams Lake.

      The fires are leading television newscasts not only because of their ferocity, but also because they provide stunning visuals that captivate audiences.

      This has the effect of knocking other important news stories down the lineup.

      The rare summer sitting of the legislature is to debate terms of a 25-year agreement for the proposed Pacific Northwest LNG project near Prince Rupert. The company is controlled by Petronas, a state-owned Malaysian energy company.

      B.C. Green party MLA Andrew Weaver has characterized this deal as "shocking and irresponsible" and a "generational sellout". That's because he says it freezes tax levels at "unacceptably low levels and future governments won't be able to do anything about it".

      He's even launched an online petition against it. (It offers the added benefit of providing the Greens with contact information for those who share their concerns.)

      "Their over-the-top exaggerations of wealth and prosperity from an up-start LNG industry were never grounded in reality," the party claims. "They are prioritizing the industry at a time when LNG prices are plummeting and the global market is already oversupplied—with even more uncertainty ahead."

      The Greens also accuse the B.C. Liberals of "giving away our province's natural gas resources to a foreign state-owned, multinational corporation".

      However as long as the forests are ablaze across B.C., the Petronas deal is unlikely to lead television newscasts.

      That's because a 25-year business arrangement doesn't provide pictures that are nearly as compelling as a wildfire near Pemberton.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      Bruce

      Jul 12, 2015 at 8:27pm

      While the province is in a drought, and on fire, largely as a result of climate change, our politicians argue about how much money we be getting to use vast amounts of water to pump huge amounts of greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels out of the ground.

      What's the saying? The stupid, it burns.

      Prioritizing new industry in a changing environment

      Jul 13, 2015 at 6:37am

      No question exploring new sectors including LNG are critical to securing our future energy, jobs and much needed revenue streams. Wildfire costs are huge most years and our planet is changing no surprise. If we don't change with the times, support high demand, cleaner resource industries to pay for our public services BC will have to incur higher debt, taxes, less services. Unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees. Greece recently found that out. One can largely consider the environment and ensure jobs, food, health care is on the table. The UN just recognized BC last year for doing just that. Finding the right balance between economy and environment is a current focus and I believe the right one for families like mine living in BC

      Bruce

      Jul 13, 2015 at 9:56am

      @Prioritizing

      Finding the right balance between death and life is what the Cult of the Red God is all about. Only through fire can we afford to survive the changes brought by fire. I myself have two helpings of word salad every day and it keeps the truth from disturbing the enjoyment of my paycheque.

      @Prioritizing new industry in a changing environment

      Jul 13, 2015 at 1:19pm

      So, we export real resources, and we import virtual bank credit, that is, book-keeping entries. Our whole economic system is broken, anyone who understands Math 11 and the stuff about series, etc. can understand it, but that's a very small percentage of the population.

      Canada's CO2 output is decreasing, and Asia's is increasing. We're being sold down the river so that Asia can industrialize and destroy the planet. Yahoo!