Squamish Nation Council voted to approve an environmental assessment agreement for the proposed Woodfibre LNG facility project.
Based on this decision the Squamish Nation has issued an environmental certificate to the company, First Nation’s statement reads.
Subject to Woodfibre LNG meeting the conditions set out in the certificate and the agreement, this gives the company approval to proceed to the next step.
The decision comes as a result of the Nation’s independent assessment of the proposal, ongoing since July 2014.
On June 27, 2015, the Nation set out its “25 Conditions” for the proposal and on July 24, Woodfibre LNG publicly said it agrees to meet all 13 conditions that apply to its part of the proposal.
The agreement is legally binding including legal remedies to ensure Woodfibre LNG complies with its commitments under the agreement. The Nation has significant decision-making powers under the agreement, specifically for the choice of cooling technology and approval of management plans.
Council Spokesperson and Chief Ian Campbel l cautions there are critical issues still unresolved.
“There is still no agreement on the FortisBC pipeline. The pipeline is subject to a separate SN Environmental Assessment Agreement,” Campbell said adding that negotiations continue with FortisBC and the provincial government.
[mappress mapid=”17795″]
Image: Woodfibre LNG