Premier Announces LNG Buy BC Program
Premier Christy Clark faces the media after her keynote address to UBCM photo courtesy BC Gov Photos
Vancouver, BC – Premier Christy Clark has announced a new ‘LNG Buy BC’ program during her keynote address to municipal leaders attending the final day of the Union of BC Municipalities’ convention in Vancouver.
Clark says the government will act as a "matchmaker", connecting BC businesses to the multi-national corporations behind the proposed LNG projects.
"Natural gas belongs to the people of British Columbia. It is ours," Clark has told the 2,000 delegates. "And we are going to ensure that as many benefits as possible flow from the sale of that resource, to the owners of that resource – the people of British Columbia – in every corner of this province.
Specifically noting Terrace Mayor Marilyn Davies and Bill Streeper of Fort Nelson, the Premier agrees, "It’s our turn." To that end, Clark has announced Steve Thomson’s reponsibilities as Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources Operations will be expanded to include Rural Development.
The government has also announced grants totalling $150-thousand dollars to help local governments in the northwest perform a ‘needs assessment’ to better prepare them for the impacts of the LNG proposals in community infrastructure. "As we pursue the transformative opportunity of liquefied natural gas, communities across the province – particularly in the northwest of our province – will see an influx of jobs and people and we need to help them manage that growth," says the Premier.
The City of Prince Rupert, District of Kitimat, City of Terrace, District of Port Edward, Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, and the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District will have access to the funds to assess the impacts on water, sewer systems, roads, health, safety and social systems.
The Premier also had a message for the ‘pessimists’ who says the LNG industry is never going to happen in our province, pointing out that Chevron Apache has already invested $800-million dollars, with 500 people working on its project in BC. "And this is just one company, $7-billion dollars has already been spent – not promised, not committed – already been spent in securing the rights and the opportunities to sell our product overseas. Seven companies have applied for export licenses."
In a news conference after her address, Clark admits there is a tight timeframe to capitalize on the LNG market, with stiff competition coming from the United States. "If we move quickly and really grasp the opportunity, we will beat the Americans to the punch, and we will win at this game."
"We’re hoping some (of the BC proposals) will get to final investment decision by next year," says Clark. "None of the American proposals are anywhere close to that, as far as I know. But there is competition out there, so the first North American exporter that’s in the market is going to win and we intend to be that winner."
The Premier expects ‘some’ of the BC proposals will move to final investment decision next year, meaning the dollars are ‘locked in’. She says her government had hoped to have the tax and royalty structures before the legislature this fall, but that’s been pushed back to spring due to its complexity. The proposal is expected to be ready for the public and stakeholder input this fall.
Comments
LNG ???? Money locked in by 2014? for maybe one LNG plant maybe, USA with plants on the books 12 in total. Australia now has 4 in operation, one almost completed and another $30 billion over budget. If we can land the $25 plus Billion to Build one in the next 6 to 10 years would be great but 5 LNG plants don’t think so. And a trillion dollars in Government revenue… sorry not possible even with 5 plants the margin of profit just not there.
“In a news conference after her address, Clark admits there is a tight timeframe to capitalize on the LNG market, with stiff competition coming from the United States. “
It’s too bad that things move so slowly in this country. That’s what will kill us more than anything else.
If we were building the national railroad system today, it probably would take 200 years.
By 2015 the Panama canal will have been widened allowing the big LNG ships from the gulf coast to ship to Asia at a much reduced cost. This will be very strong completion for west coast LNG plants. The LNG infrastructure on the Gulf coast is already there and producing.
HEY libs is this not the golden egg she promised us that would put us in the black debt free has a nice ring to it BUT she had better turn it around soon because at 60 billion in the hole and counting soon we wont be able to turn it around I don’t believe her for one moment yes we are done like the golden goose that is WELL DONE!!!
Our biggest advantage is the proximity to the East coast. We are already a day and half closer by ship to the Eastern countries. I don’t believe shipping through the Panama Canal is very viable so unless the Southern States can undercut our price by a substantial margin they won’t stand a chance.
Panama canal is viable. Those with the big boats are ready. I am sure they have run the numbers.
By the comments from the hardcore NDP’rs on here, and the negatives yet no doubt yet to come from them, one can only assume this project would have been a total non-starter under the NDP.
Makes me all that more glad that Christy has the guts to do everything she can to try to give BC a head start on what will become a huge employment opportunity in the coming years if she can pull it off for us, and especially for our young people coming up the employment ladder, at least a chance to find good jobs, stay in BC, and support BC families.
Good on ya Christy, go get ’em !!
Thankfully Adrian Dix is not the one we’d have had to depend on to land this one.
Geez JB, you’re nothing if not on point. It’s fine to have political leanings, but sometimes you have to think critically.
There are good reasons these things take time. So that idiots don’t just go madly off in all directions and create a chaos of unintended consequences.
Yes, the building of the CPR was done with amazing speed. We also killed 600 Chinese people in the process. This is why we have checks and balances now. Killing people, slowly or otherwise, in the pursuit of economic advantage is kind of frowned upon in this day and age.
The world is awash in gas. We should be building a gas based economy. Running freight, generating electricity and powering vehicles with gas. Oh yeah, don’t want to burn fossil fuels here, but we’ll purchase coal fired power from our neighbours and ruin salmon streams to provide electricity for LNG to be shipped elsewhere. Only to have the end use customers burn it. LNG plants should be part of our economy, but let’s not bet the farm on it. We should process/utilize our resources to their fullest potential at home and export the surpluses.
“There are good reasons these things take time. So that idiots don’t just go madly off in all directions and create a chaos of unintended consequences. “
I understand that you would want to site an extreme as an example to make your point, but ‘chaos’ is not what I advocate.
I simply advocate efficient government (ha!), streamlined processes, and the reduction/elimination of the extreme bureaucracy and red tape that exists in Canada now. It has put us at a disadvantage in a global economy.
So I guess that means I can put you firmly atop the fracking bandwagon then.
Yeah — if Christy doesn’t land this one for us, fracking will end forever in Canada and all over the world.
I wish.
Sine: “So I guess that means I can put you firmly atop the fracking bandwagon then.”
I like hot showers and a warm house in the winter, so yes.
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