Province of British Columbia to fund study into Prince Rupert airshed

With the prospect of a number of large industrial projects potentially arriving on the door step of Prince Rupert, the Province has put in motion a plan to examine the environmental concerns of the region.

Announcing on Tuesday that it was allocating 500,000 dollars into a scientific study into the Prince Rupert airshed.

The study will be conducted to help provide further information when it comes to the the impact of any  industrial development decisions on both the environment and health matters for the region.

Among some of the items that the Province flagged for that potential impact, seven proposed LNG terminals for the region, existing and proposed Prince Rupert Port Authority development, Gas turbine powered electrical generation facilities and related rail and marine transportation options in the area.

One item that might raise a few red flags for a number of people in the area, was the motion of a proposed oil refinery, a topic which has been on the mind of the environmental movement in the area as well as with a few members of Prince Rupert Council.

In fact, in their recent efforts related to proposed development of Lot 444, the City specifically made note that the area of Tuck Inlet would Not be used for the handling and processing of all oil products, including crude or bitumen.

Area of Prince Rupert to be
reviewed in Gov't airshed study

Among some of the issues to be reviewed in the study will be a review of the impact of emissions through a number of scenarios or case studies, including potential effects on surface water, soils, vegetation and human health.

The Request for Proposals to conduct the study will close on January 2nd, 2015.

The timeline for the successful applicant for the study program will be to have a final report submitted to the government by May 15th, of 2015.

Conclusions from the Study will be used for such items as to inform Environmental  Assessment work as well as the future permitting and regulatory decisions for LNG and other industrial proponents in the Prince Rupert airshed.

The provincial study will be of some note for the City of Prince Rupert, which has been seeking assistance from the Province on many of the groundwork issues related to proposed development in the area.

Background on the funding announcement can be found here.

You can review the Request for Proposals from the BC Government website here, the study is listed as the Prince Rupert airshed Study.