A few Salmon Arm residents joined a province-wide protest of fracking that saw B.C. groups demand a stop to the practice.
Julia Beatty, chair of the Shuswap Climate Action Society, said the March 27 day of action, supported by the new Frack Free BC alliance, came after B.C. approved “yet another oil and gas expansion project, Cedar LNG in Kitimat.”
She said cabinet ministers face looming decisions on Tilbury LNG, Woodfibre LNG, Ksi Lisims LNG, phase two of LNG Canada, plus Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector gas pipeline.
“All of these projects would require more fracking – a highly polluting industrial practice that leaks methane gas into the atmosphere and permanently poisons large volumes of fresh water. But from Kitimat to Kamloops and Vernon to Victoria, people all over the province are pushing back against the fracking industry, and calling on the B.C. government to keep gas in the ground.”
Said Kiki Wood with Stand.earth on the B.C. Wilderness Committee website:
“Most British Columbians would be shocked to learn that there are over 30,000 fracking wells in B.C.’s northeast, a number that could double in the next decade if Premier Eby chooses not to stand up against LNG expansion. Fortunately it’s not too late – if the B.C. government cancels fossil fuel subsidies, and puts a moratorium on new fracking wells – we can still get back on track to meeting our climate targets.”
Added Dave Gregory with the Nelson chapter of the Council of Canadians:
“I firmly believe it is time B.C. and Canada followed the example of various European nations in banning fracking. Even the Conservative government in the UK has done so. Fracking is immoral because it leaks methane, pollutes groundwater and causes mini-earthquakes. It is very harmful to the environment because methane is a greenhouse gas 82-times more powerful than CO2. The United Nations has identified it as a major cause of global warming. No new fracking should be permitted in the BC Peace country. Stop fracking now!”