BC NDP

VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberals’ post-election renewed push to lift the ban on coastal oil drilling shows their environmental promises during the campaign were nothing more than hot air, say New Democrats.

“It is environmental hypocrisy of the highest degree for the B.C. Liberals to boost dirty coastal drilling while claiming that that they care about the environment,” said New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming. “The B.C. Liberals are putting our coastal waters at jeopardy by promoting offshore oil and gas and planning to run supertankers through the treacherous waters of the inside passage.”

On Monday, Minister of Energy and Mines Blair Lekstrom said that B.C. is raising the issue of offshore oil and gas every chance it gets with the federal government.

“During the election the B.C. Liberals claimed they wanted B.C. to become a greener, low-carbon economy, but their ongoing push to open up our sensitive coast to oil and gas extraction is just one more case of the Campbell government saying one thing and doing another,” said Fleming.

New Democrat energy critic John Horgan noted that even with advances in technology there is no such thing as environmentally safe coastal drilling.

“Coastal drilling is a dirty business,” said Horgan. “That’s why offshore oil and gas extraction on our seismically active, sensitive coastline has been off limits for over 30 years, through seven different premiers and governments of all political stripes.”

Horgan also criticized the energy minister’s contention that being in an economic downturn was enough of a reason to ignore longstanding community and environmental concerns.

“There is no consensus on offshore drilling and a government that is sincere about climate change and environmental protection would not try and ram through a policy change of this magnitude without talking to the people that matter, not those in Ottawa, but those on the coast and across British Columbia,” said Horgan. “Mr. Lekstrom needs to recognize he is the Minister of Energy on behalf of the people of B.C. not on behalf of multinational oil companies.”

Carole James and the New Democrats are fighting for an environmental action plan that respects communities, offers families positive choices and commits to concrete action to protect species at risk.

In addition to failing to make investments in closed-containment aquaculture, the green economy and new incentives for clean energy and energy efficiency, the B.C. Liberals’ have a post-election record of environmental failures which includes:

• Eliminating LiveSmart BC and cutting back on Scrap-It.
• Planning to bring in the HST, which will eliminate PST exemptions on clean and energy efficient products, meaning it will cost more to make good environmental choices at home.
• Cutting the budget for environmental protection, parks and protected areas, stewardship, compliance and enforcement and the Climate Action Secretariat by between 10 and 62 per cent.