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HomeNewsGitxsan house groups to file litigation against PNW LNG approval in court...

Gitxsan house groups to file litigation against PNW LNG approval in court tomorrow

Two house groups of the Gitxsan Nation will be filing for a judicial review of the federal government’s approval of the Pacific Northwest LNG project tomorrow.

The lawsuit alleges there was a lack of consultation with first nations throughout the federal environmental process.

Tomorrow’s litigation will be the fourth of its kind looking to halt the project, after the Gitwilgyoots, Gitanyow and Skeena Wild filed legal action in October against the PNW LNG approval.

“And the longer the BC Government and the federal government perpetuate these terrible consultation practices the more it’s going to cost the taxpayer,” says Executive Director with the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition Shannon McPhail.

She says the location of the proposed export facility atop a salmon estuary on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert is a threat to the 110 million dollar wild salmon economy.

“And quite frankly (it) is a threat to evidence based decision making. When all the science pointed in the direction (that) this project should never be approved,” says McPhail.

She also says the government was actively supporting conflict by funding both sides while not recognizing the hereditary system.

The federal government maintains significant concerns around salmon were a factor in the decision taking three additional months to come to a decision.

The export terminal on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert was given the green light in September pending 190 conditions.

Below is an interactive map of communities and First Nations who are opposed and in support of PNW LNG (via Discourse Media):

http://discoursemedia.org/toward-reconciliation/positions-on-pnw-lng

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