Energy opportunities for British Columbia the theme for Skeena MLA Ross in Monday statements

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross speaking Monday on themes of energy in BC

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross shared more of his passion for the development of energy projects in British Columbia on Monday, speaking to a range of themes on Clean energy development, with Mr. Ross using his speaking time in the Monday morning statements period to outline a few of his thoughts on the topic.

The main thrust of the MLA's commentary that of the promise of LNG development tied in with existing hydro electric options to continue to build the British Columbia economy and provide jobs for the residents of the province.

"B.C. is blessed when it comes to clean energy, especially when we talk about hydroelectricity and natural gas. When you look at the history, B.C. has proven that the environment and resource development are not mutually exclusive. 

2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the W.A.C. Bennett dam. Fifty-one years later, LNG Canada announced its $40 billion final investment decision on their project to ship B.C. LNG to Asia. 

In these two historic achievements, we also have to remember the basics of supply and demand, and more importantly, the foresight to plan for clean energy usage around the world, not just here in B.C. 

There's no doubt that the W.A.C. Bennett dam kept B.C. emissions down for 50 years while keeping consumer rates at the fifth-lowest in North America. But at the same time, we have to realize that W.A.C. Bennett dam was built for a population of 1.8 million people. 

 Today our population has grown to 5 million and growing. 

And the demand keeps growing, and not just in B.C. 

Demand keeps growing for energy all across the world, especially in countries who want the same standard of living and opportunity that we have enjoyed here in the west for decades. So now it is our turn to plan for the future to provide energy for the next generation. We've taken the first steps in this regard with the construction of Site C. 

The construction of LNG Canada's natural gas project can only ensure that B.C. takes its place in the world in the push to reduce emissions while feeding the demand for energy worldwide. Hydro power still provides the majority of clean energy to consumers. 

In the case of B.C., 90 percent of what we use comes from hydroelectricity, that's compared to worldwide use at 16 percent. 

The critics who say that Site C is not needed right now are ignoring the simple fact that the W.A.C. Bennett dam wasn't built for five million people. 

It was built for 1.8 million people. 

As large hydro dams have a lifetime of 50 to 100 years, we are not the ones to definitively say what the energy need will be in the year 2120. 

We can only predict based on our past that energy demand will always be there, and world populations will continue to grow. 

As for natural gas, we can still include natural gas to meet current and future demand here in B.C. by transitioning our remote communities from diesel-generated electricity to natural gas. 

This would not only reduce emissions but also reduce the environmental impacts that come from a diesel spill on our west coast and inland waters, which is a reality." 

The Skeena MLA also weighed in on some of the options promoted towards clean energy alternatives, highlighting how for him they don't make for a good fit for the province.

"The alternatives for clean energy are not in our best interests as British Columbians. 

The United States currently runs 90 nuclear reactors in 30 different states. 

It may be carbon free, but I have never heard of British Columbians screaming for us to use nuclear power over our hydroelectricity, or natural gas. 

The United States also generates 23.5 percent of its electricity from coal,  from burning coal. 

It's interesting, though, to note that the United States' reduction of emissions is due mainly to transitioning from coal-generated electricity to natural gas, not from shutting down the electricity plants.

In considering all of this, it makes no sense for British Columbia to become energy reliant on the United States through the North American grid, especially when we have clean sources of energy already in our natural gas deposits, the W.A.C. Bennett dam and the future Site C dam. 

We already have the highest environmental standards in the world, but we also have to consider the economic growth that comes from our efforts to produce our own energy, which we can now proudly say includes First Nations in almost every aspect, including the W.A.C. Bennett dam. 

In the end, we need more projects like Site C, LNG Canada and Chevron's KM LNG project, that not only provide energy for future British Columbians but also make for a stronger B.C. overall, as well as helps the world problem of emissions." 

The discussion over the which approach may be best for  British Columbia continued on through the Monday morning session, with Mr. Ross re-entering the conversation a bit later, to recount some of the proposals that are still under consideration including a project that would ship oil through Prince Rupert in containers, having been placed in a hockey puck sized solidified form.

September 2019 -- Port of Prince Rupert's view on prospect of containerized bitumen shipments: Proof of concept, but unknown is it will prove viable

September 2019 -- Prince Rupert's Northwest Gateway tests the waters; hosts transit of a test run for containerized bitumen shipments

November 2018 -- Will the CanaPux change views on the shipment of Oil on the North Coast

"We have the BitCrude proposed for Prince Rupert that proposes to export crude oil as a solid in container ships to complement, not replace, current pipelines and tanker methods. 

We have proposals to ship methanol to Asia — clean, B.C. methanol — because right now Asia is supplying their own needs for methanol through coal. 

And of course, we can't ignore projects like Pacific Traverse Energy, Cedar LNG, Woodfibre, Chevron's KM LNG. 

We can't ignore this, especially at our time of need in this COVID crisis when we're all looking to develop an economy and come out even stronger than what we were before this crisis. 

Chevron LNG, in its plans to export 18 million tonnes, will provide more spinoffs like what we're seeing in Terrace right now, Progressive Ventures' inland port to service Prince Rupert, Kitimat and Stewart. 

They're all spinoffs. They provide tremendous value, in terms of jobs and opportunity, as well as complementing our clean energy needs."

You can explore the full overview from Monday from the Legislature archive here., the conversation begins just after the 10:20 AM mark.

The video presentation of the discussion can be viewed from the Legislature Video page, again just after the 10:20 AM mark.

For more notes on the work of Mr. Ross in the Legislature see our Skeena archive page here.