Permission to Pollute...Again!
March 7, 2024
Rhiannon Fox
Last year, FortisBC and Woodfibre LNG applied for three separate permits to discharge construction wastewater into Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound and the Squamish River.
We hired Dr. Vicki Marlatt, Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Simon Fraser University, to review these applications. Her report concluded that these permits could result in cumulative, long-term toxic effects for wildlife and ecosystems in Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound, and pose significant risk to human health via exposure to heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants.
Not surprisingly, the BC Energy Regulator approved the permit for Woodfibre LNG to pollute Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound in early February 2024, ignoring almost every single recommendation made by Dr Marlatt.
Woodfibre LNG will be allowed to pollute at levels exceeding B.C. water quality guidelines for heavy metals, total suspended solids (TSS), and pH. The regulator also failed to consider cumulative impacts from all three effluent permits. This is shameful, and yet another example of how the BC Energy Regulator is failing to hold industry accountable.
We're filing a third Notice of Appeal via the Environmental Appeal Board for British Columbia to cancel this permit. We need to hold the BC Energy Regulator and Woodfibre LNG accountable.
Can you chip in to help pay for legal fees, expert peer review, access to information, and dedicated staff time to support this new legal action?
CHIP IN TO SUPPORT OUR LEGAL ACTIONSMore than 250 donors have raised over $84,193 to support our legal actions so far, but we’re still $15,807 short of our fundraising goal. Every donation will be matched by a wonderful local donor.
Our communities have worked for decades to clean up the toxic legacy of past industries in Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.
We cannot allow Woodfibre LNG and FortisBC to pollute these fragile and recovering ecosystems again.
Rhiannon Fox
Campaign Coordinator
My Sea to Sky
My Sea to Sky is incredibly proud and grateful to say that we rely on the My Sea to Sky community for small donations that provide the majority of our funding. Since our launch in 2014, we have been funded through personal savings, family and friends; and powered by the passion of our volunteers. Your generous contribution will help us to run our critical campaigns to defend, protect, and restore Howe Sound. Can you chip in?