WHEREAS the BC Energy Plan states that: - Achieving electricity self-sufficiency is fundamental to our future energy security and that BC shall achieve electricity self-sufficiency by 2016; and that - As part of its commitment to ensure that BCs electricity sector remains one of the cleanest in the world, the province will require zero greenhouse gas emissions from any coal thermal electricity facilities to be met through capture and sequestration technology; but that - For existing and new electricity plants the government policy will provide for reaching zero net emissions through carbon offsets from other activities in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS WestPac LNG is soliciting interest to build an LNG import facility and an associated 600MW gas-fired electricity generating plant on Texada Island, which are inconsistent with the Provinces goals of energy self-sufficiency and clean power and are potentially harmful to the health of citizens throughout the surrounding regions: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM urge the provincial government, as part of achieving the BC Energy Plan, to require zero greenhouse gas emissions from new gas-fired electricity generation stations.
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources In the BC Energy Plan, the Government commits that all new natural gas- or oil-fired electricity generation projects developed in British Columbia and connected to the integrated grid will have zero net greenhouse gas GHG emissions. This means that the proponents of these generation projects would have to invest in other initiatives that would completely offset the GHG emissions generated by these projects. To ensure consistent treatment between new and existing generation projects, while allowing time to plan for this change, the BC Energy Plan commits that by 2016, all existing natural gas- and oil-fired electricity generating facilities in the integrated grid will need to completely offset their GHG emissions. The 2008 changes to the Environmental Management Act include changes that put into law the net zero GHG emissions policy.