Alaska Highway News August 4 2016

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 78

SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES

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PRRD clears way for Encana gas plant Facility expected to begin operations in 2017 MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

Peace River Regional District directors have approved zoning and official community plan amendments that will allow Encana to build its South Central Liquids Hub. Directors voted 8-3 July 28 in support of the amendments, allowing Encana to proceed with the 19-hectare development in Tomslake, south of Dawson Creek. The board’s decision allows the agricultural parcel to be used for heavy industrial. Rural directors Karen Goodings, Larry Houley, and Hudson’s Hope Mayor Gwen Johansson were the only ones to oppose the amendments, while Director Leonard Hiebert, who represents Area D where the plant will be located, excused himself from the vote citing a conflict of interest. “This facility is a reflection of Encana’s commitment to the world-class energy assets in the Dawson Creek area,� Encana spokesperson Doug McIntyre said. “It will support a number of our near-term and future investment plans in the Montney, one of our core four assets.�

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Taylor Mayor Rob Fraser worried that opposing zoning and official community plan amendments to allow Encana to build its South Central Liquids Hub would send a wrong message to industry.

The costs for the project were not provided, but McIntyre said the facility is expected to be operational in the first or second quarter of 2017. “Encana always strives to hire locally and we anticipate there will be employment opportunities arising from the liquids hub,� he said.

As anticipated, much of the PRRD directors’ debate over the plan centred on the the area’s Official Community Plan (OCP)—the document that governs medium-term development in rural areas, including the size of industrial facilities. “The situation is we have a proponent here that wants to carry on an activity that’s contrary to a community plan that’s been publicly vetted and adopted by this board. It’s the only document that enforces the interests of agriculture,â€? said Houley, an alternate director for Area E. Houley said Encana brought forth a “very good business proposal,â€? but likened the matter to discussions that took place in the early 2000s on where to site the Peace Valley OSB plant in Fort St. John. “There was a process where there was a long list of sites, then a short list of sites, and good reasons given on why it should be there,â€? Houley said. “In this case ‌ all the reasons I see given by Encana are valid to their interests. I haven’t heard if any other sites could be considered and what the impact of other sites would be.â€?

THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THAR PANS!

See ENCANA on A7

Feds approve Site C permits Decision sparks disappointment, outrage JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

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The hands were quick and the water was sloshing at the 44th annual Worlds Invitational Gold Panning Championships in Taylor last weekend. For some, like Dave Coupland, it was a return to victory as Coupland took home the trophy in the the Class ‘A’ Invitational after winning it last in 1996. For others, like Chris and Matthew Totusek, the event was a family affair. See more on A3 and B15.

Petronas considering B.C. LNG delay Pacific NorthWest LNG ‘unattractive’: Wall Street Journal MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

A report from the Wall Street Journal Aug. 2 suggests Petronas could delay its final investment decision on Pacific NorthWest LNG. Citing two unnamed sources “familiar with the matter,� the Journal says a glut of gas on the world market, coupled with low oil and gas prices has “rendered the project unattractive at the moment.� Though the sources did not say how long the delay could

be, it follows on a previous Alaska Highway News report that the Malaysian oil and gas giant likely won’t make a final investment decision on Pacific NorthWest until June 2017, after British Columbia’s next general election. Weak oil prices have hit Petronas’ bottom line hard—its first quarter profit dropped a staggering 60 per cent this year from last, from an estimated $3.6 billion CDN to $1.4 billion, according to the Journal. Petronas is expected to release its second quarter results on

Aug. 22. Soft LNG prices since 2014 are expected to remain as new supply from the United States, Australia, and Russia is brought into the market over the next five years, according to the Journal. Last year, Petronas and its partners gave Pacific NorthWest LNG conditional approval contingent on approval by the B.C. legislature and an environmental certificate from the federal government.

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See PETRONAS on A3

Justin Trudeau’s government has authorized its first set of Site C permits, allowing construction to continue on the controversial $8.8-billion project. Critics of the dam say the approval quashes any hopes they had of the new government delaying or further reviewing Site C. “Up until now, the Trudeau government had not issued a permit on this project,� Ken Boon, a Peace Valley farmer and opponent of the project, said in an interview. The permits allow BC Hydro to block the flow of the Peace River and disrupt fisheries—activities which require federal approval. The initial permits needed for construction were issued under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The B.C. government approved Site C in December 2014. “It’s very disappointing,� Boon said. “There was somewhat of a delay happening under the Trudeau government as far as issuing these permits, and we took that as a positive sign that they were looking at this more seriously.� Boon said the new permits amount to a stamp of approval from the new government, which promised to renew a “nationto-nation� relationship between Ottawa and First Nations. See PERMITS on A12

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