Friday, February 14, 2014 It feels a bit like déjà vu. Once again we’re faced with a federal government study that was highly relevant to the environmental assessment of the Enbridge pipelines and tankers project, but which was not considered in the assessment because it was released too late. Like
Continue readingTag: Environmental Assessment
Environmental Law Alert Blog: Why the NEB downplayed the impact of a major bitumen spill
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 So how did the National Energy Board’s Joint Review Panel (JRP) considering Enbridge’s proposed pipelines and tankers project conclude that a catastrophic spill of diluted bitumen (untreated oil sands oil, diluted so that it can be transported by pipe) on BC’s North Coast would only have
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: "Not In Your Breadbasket"
Friday, January 17, 2014 Finding consensus among British Columbians on the controversial Site C dam that BC Hydro is seeking to build on the Peace River is challenging. But one thing that can’t be disputed is our need of food. Call it a universal truth: we need to eat. And
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Why Anna’s going to Washington
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Recently we asked our readers to write to the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to talk about their concerns with the Canadian government’s actions in dismantling our environmental laws in omnibus budget bills (Bills C-38 and C-45). Well, now we’re taking those concerns to Washington, DC
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Mining the Family Farm
Monday, September 9, 2013 BC’s archaic mining laws have a real cost for BC communities, their environment and their economies. This blog post is the first in a series that highlights the stories of a wide variety of people and places in BC that have felt first-hand the negative impacts
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Standing Up for Nature and Democracy in Federal Court
Thursday, August 15, 2013 This week, the latest chapter in Canada’s David and Goliath struggle between citizens and Big Oil unfolded as a BC non-profit organization, Forest Ethics Advocacy, launched a constitutional challenge to new requirements in the National Energy Board Act that have the effect of silencing citizens concerned
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Back to the drawing board for the Raven Coal Mine
Monday, June 17, 2013 Congratulations to the people of the east coast of Vancouver Island who have been fighting the controversial Raven Coal Project, proposed by Compliance Coal Corporation. On May 16th the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) sent a letter to Compliance Coal refusing to conduct a detailed review
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Back to the drawing board for the Raven Coal Mine
Monday, June 17, 2013 Congratulations to the people of the east coast of Vancouver Island who have been fighting the controversial Raven Coal Project, proposed by Compliance Coal Corporation. On May 16th the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) sent a letter to Compliance Coal refusing to conduct a detailed review
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: NEB should abandon undemocratic limits on public comment
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Last Thursday, April 4th the National Energy Board (NEB) announced that anyone who wished to comment on Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline proposal in Central Canada even by simply writing a letter would need to fill out a 10 page application form within 2 weeks. This is,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: NEB should abandon undemocratic limits on public comment
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Last Thursday, April 4th the National Energy Board (NEB) announced that anyone who wished to comment on Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline proposal in Central Canada even by simply writing a letter would need to fill out a 10 page application form within 2 weeks. This is,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: On Greenwashing Canada’s Enviro-Assessment Laws
Monday, April 8, 2013 A press release issued last Tuesday (April 2nd), by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) concerning a proposed Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Export Terminal at Kitimat, BC referred to the "strengthened and modernized Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012)." This term appears literally tens
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: New undemocratic rules barrier to public participation in Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline hearings
Rules “a consequence of weakened federal environmental laws under Bill C-38″ By: Greenpeace Canada & Environmental Defence | Press Release: TORONTO, ON, Apr 5, 2013 – New undemocratic rules are creating a barrier to public participation in upcoming National Energy Board (NEB) hearings into the proposal for Enbridge’s Line 9 oil pipeline.
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Harper government misled Canadians on environmental assessment “delays”: Study
New study confirms government misled public on Environmental Assessment ‘delays’ By: Sierra Club Canada | Press Release: OTTAWA – A study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences found environmental assessments triggered by the Fisheries Act prior to the 2012 omnibus bill were NOT taking too long to
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Jessica Clogg explains Bill C-45, First Nations Rights, FIPA
Monday, March 4, 2013 This interview was originally published by Digital Journal and was written by Grace C. Visconti. Click here to go to the article as it was originally published. Vancouver – West Coast Environmental Law Executive Director and Senior Counsel Jessica Clogg explains ramifications of Bill C-45, First
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: From Oolichan to Enbridge: Getting to the Heart of Cumulative Impacts Management in the Northwest
Monday, January 14, 2013 In November 2012, 170 resource management practitioners, scientists, academics, and community members came together at a conference in Smithers, BC entitled “Adding it All Up: Balancing Benefits and Effects of Resource Development”. The conference, organized by the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, focused on the issue of
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: The Smoking Gun: Who was the real author of the 2012 omnibus bills?
Friday, January 11, 2013 Kudos to Greenpeace Canada for finding something of a smoking gun exposing the role of the oil and gas industry in the gutting of Canada’s environmental laws. Greenpeace has released a letter from the Energy Framework Initiative (EFI), representing every major oil and gas industry association,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Raising your voice for the Enbridge JRP (in Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna)
Thursday, January 3, 2013 Well, tomorrow (January 4th) the Enbridge Joint Review Panel arrives in Victoria. It’s in Vancouver on January 14th, and in Kelowna on the 28th. So this is a big month in the southern part of our province for those concerned about the Enbridge Pipeline and Tanker
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Federal government balking at first small step to rebuild Environmental Assessment
Tuesday, December 18, 2012 Together with our allies, we are continuing to hold the federal government's feet to the fire to minimize the fall out from "budget" bill C-38 in relation to the new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012. The so-called consultation process for CEAA 2012's critical Project LIst continues
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Living Democracy from the Ground Up: Why Local Voices Matter
Thursday, December 6, 2012 Living Democracy from the Ground Up is a mini-documentary series produced by West Coast Environmental Law that takes an up close and personal look and the impacts that individuals could feel on the ground from rollbacks to our environmental laws. The stories in the series demonstrate
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Gutting Canada’s environmental laws = increased litigation
Thursday, December 6, 2012 Almost a year ago, Natural Resources Minister, Joe Oliver, made an unfounded accusations that environmental organizations were adopting "a quintessential American approach: sue everyone and anyone to delay the project even further." Now, one year later, it's become clear that the government's attack on Canada's environmental
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