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Asking the right LNG questions

Great cartoon published on the Mirror opinion page

Re: Ask not what LNG can do for BC, ask what BC can do for LNG (iRICE, Campbell River Mirror, Wed., July 22)

Great cartoon published on the Mirror opinion page. These are the kind of questions that need to be asked of our giveaway B.C. resource premier:

  • How much gas flowing out of the gas well heads actually belongs to the citizens of BC in terms of royalties?

  • Where are the drilling rigs manufactured?

  • Where are the high pressure pumps manufactured?

  • Where do the well casings, pipes and valves come from, are they made from Canadian steel?

  • Where do the LNG plant chillers, compressors, storage tanks and the specialized low temperature metal tank liners come from are they manufactured in Canada?

  • Are the skilled personnel required to construct the LNG plants being trained in Canada?

  • Is the alliance of LNG companies looking for government subsidies, be it from business, municipal tax, BC income tax, PST relief and investment tax?

  • One should read along with the Premier, the late David Lewis MP book, “Corporate Welfare Bums” published by Lorimer Jan.1, 1972.

The Premier of British Columbia has set her political survival on establishing LNG production and promising 75,000 jobs which are not likely to be there. A lot of gas can be extracted in 25 years and will be gone possibly with the exception of deposits difficult and extremely expensive to extract. The suggestion is that the gas should be left in the ground until the entire means of production is in the hands of Canadians, as part of an integrated energy plan. Advice should be sought from Norway as to how they managed to control resource production and obtain a heritage fund worth more than $1.1 trillion, or will BC end up like Alberta? China has LNG and metallurgical coal deposits that they will extract entirely by themselves.

A R Shaw