CANADA, May 9 - The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has issued a second administrative penalty to Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd. (CGL) for non-compliance with conditions and orders related to erosion and sediment control under its environmental assessment certificate.
The fine of $170,100 was issued following several inspections by compliance and enforcement officers with the EAO. Inspections have found repeated issues with erosion and sediment control.
CGL’s 2014 environmental assessment certificate requires implementation of an environmental management plan, including measures to protect sensitive wetlands and waterways from sediment caused by erosion that can negatively impact water quality and fish habitat.
The EAO takes very seriously matters of compliance with the conditions of all environmental assessment certificates. More than 40 inspections have been carried out along the CGL pipeline construction route since the project began in 2019, with 37 warnings, 16 orders and two administrative penalties issued.
Several inspections between October 2021 and April 2022 in various locations along the construction right-of-way found ongoing non-compliance related to erosion and sediment control. The financial penalties mark an escalation of enforcement action to address the issues.
A first administrative penalty of $72,500 was issued to CGL in February 2022.
The EAO continues to actively monitor the conditions of the environmental assessment certificate for the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project to ensure potential impacts to the environment and wildlife are mitigated.
The Coastal GasLink Pipeline project is a natural gas pipeline approximately 650 kilometres long. It will connect natural gas facilities west of Dawson Creek to the LNG Canada liquefied natural gas export facility near Kitimat that is also under construction.
For information about the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project, visit https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/projects-list and search “Coastal GasLink.”
When a project goes through the environmental assessment process and receives an environmental assessment certificate, the certificate contains legally binding requirements that must be followed for the life of the project. The requirements help mitigate potential negative environmental, social, cultural, health and economic effects of a project. Ongoing compliance oversight – including compliance inspections and, where required, enforcement actions – ensure that projects are designed, built, operated and decommissioned/reclaimed in compliance with these requirements.
For more information about the environmental assessment process, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/environmental-assessments/the-environmental-assessment-process.
