Northwest Fossil Fuel Exports: New Sightline Report for Canada

In British Columbia’s provincial elections yesterday, the right-of-center Liberal party pulled off an astonishing upset to hang onto power. It was an election in which the politics of fossil fuel expansion played a meaningful role, particularly for the NDP, the major opposition party. With the Liberals forming another majority government, it makes sense now to reflect on the epic-scale fossil fuel exports planned for BC and its neighbors in the US Northwest.

Today, Sightline is releasing a new report in Canada, one that tallies the potential carbon emissions from fossil fuel export infrastructure planned throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Across British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington there are active proposals for seven new or expanded coal terminals, three new oil pipelines, and six new natural gas pipelines. The projects are distinct, but they can be denominated in a common currency: the tons of carbon dioxide emitted if the fossil fuels were burned. Taken together, these projects would be capable of delivering enough fuel to release an additional 761 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide.

The Northwest enjoys a reputation for leadership in clean energy and environmental policy. Yet the new fossil fuel infrastructure planned for British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington would eclipse the region’s green reputation, transforming the Northwest from an aspiring climate leader into a carbon export hub of global consequence.

You can find the full report here.

[Editor’s note: At the Vancouver Sun, Pete McMartin devoted his May 18 column to Sightline’s report. His piece is well worth reading.]

Sightline will be releasing a US version of this report soon, so American readers should keep their eyes peeled.

Eric de Place

Eric de Place, director of Thin Green Line, spearheads Sightline’s work on energy policy. Known as a leading expert on coal, oil, and gas export plans in the Pacific Northwest, he is considered an authority on a range of issues connected to fossil fuel transport, including carbon emissions, local pollution, transportation system impacts, rail policy, and economics. He has researched and published more than four hundred articles, reports, and analyses on these proposals, and his work on fossil fuel transport has been cited by regional and national news media outlets more than a thousand times. His expertise makes him a highly sought-after expert in the field providing him with the opportunity to support allied groups, as well as educate media, elected officials, and the broader public on critical issues affecting our region. Eric is a talented speaker, presenter, and media spokesperson. In his increasingly scarce free time, he enjoys climbing the Northwest’s peaks, tidepooling beaches with his kid, and solving the rest of the world’s problems over a pint. Before coming to Sightline, he worked with the Northwest Area Foundation, developing strategies to alleviate poverty in rural communities. He has a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. Find his latest research here, email him at eric [at] sightline [dot] org.