Prince George, B.C. – Ministry of Environment   officials are meeting with key stakeholders in the petroleum and transportation sectors to talk about policy changes to support a full “polluter-pay” system.

 The system would require companies responsible for a spill to pick up the full costs of the clean up .

The work being done now, is considered the foundation for what will become a world class spill recovery plan.

The Ministry of Environment receives approximately 3,500 notifications of  environmental emergencies each year. These emergencies include: oil-tank leaks, home-based oil spills, overturned tanker trucks, oil and fuel spills on water, rail accidents and chemical spills. While approximately 90 per cent of these are considered minor, the projected increase in the movement of hazardous materials throughout B.C. necessitates a well-co-ordinated response and preparedness plan. 

Minister of the Environment, Terry Lake, says the public’s interest in the Northern Gateway Pipeline is evidence of how important environmental protection is to British Columbians  and that is why  the Province wants to develop  “world-leading policy that deals with all land-based hazardous  materials spills including those from trucks, railcars, home oil tanks  and chemical spills.” 

The Province is also planning a symposium in March that will bring together a variety of stakeholders interested in the development of a strong spill response program in B.C.