Lelu Island (British Columbia)

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Lelu Island (British Columbia)
Native name:
Lax U’u’la
The North End of Lelu Island in Winter.jpg
The North End of Lax U’u’la in Winter
Canada British Columbia location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Lelu Island
Geography
Coordinates 54°11′59″N130°17′19″W / 54.19972°N 130.28861°W / 54.19972; -130.28861 Coordinates: 54°11′59″N130°17′19″W / 54.19972°N 130.28861°W / 54.19972; -130.28861 [1]

Lelu Island is an island of the Range 5 Coast Land District, of British Columbia, Canada, [1] located in the Skeena Estuary between Smith and Ridley Islands. [2] Historically it has been inhabited by area First Nations. [2] Immediately southwest and associated with the island is the Flora Bank, a unique geomorphic feature supporting a critical fish habitat. [3]

Proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG export facility

Petronas made a proposal for a liquefied natural gas export facility on this island in 2013. In September 2015, members of Lax Kw'alaams Nation began occupation of a camp on the island in opposition to the facility. [4] In April 2016, the Prince Rupert Port Authority ordered a stop to construction of the camp. [5] In September 2016, the Canadian federal government approved the project [6] with 190 conditions, but members of the Lax Kw'alaams nation maintained their camp opposing the project. [7]

The proposal had previously been opposed by unanimous vote but then supported [8] by John Helin the mayor of the Lax Kw'alaams First Nation while still finding opposition among its hereditary chiefs, and is supported by Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark. [9]

On July 25, 2017, Petronas announced they were abandoning the proposed export facility. [10] The reasons for ending the project included market factors as well as political opposition. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Lelu Island". BC Geographical Names .
  2. 1 2 Prepared by Adrian Clark (13 December 2013). "Aboriginal Use and Occupancy of Lelu Island, 1793 to 1846" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  3. Prepared by Asit Mazumder (June 2016). "Pacific NorthWest LNG Project: A review and assessment of the project plans and their potential impacts on marine fish and fish habitat in the Skeena estuary" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  4. "B.C. First Nations divided over Lelu Island LNG amid protests". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  5. "Anti-LNG protesters in Prince Rupert told to stop camping at Lelu Island". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  6. "Ottawa approves Pacific NorthWest LNG project for B.C. coast". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  7. "Indigenous campers stage year-long protest to keep LNG at bay on Lelu Island, B.C." CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  8. McCarthy, Shawn (18 March 2016). "Lax Kw'alaam Band gives green light to Pacific NorthWest – with conditions". The Globe and Mail . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  9. Lukacs, Martin (20 March 2016). "By rejecting $1bn for a pipeline, a First Nation has put Trudeau's climate plan on trial". The Guardian . The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  10. "TransCanada Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project – Overview". www.transcanada.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  11. "What killed the $36-billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project?". Global News. Retrieved 2018-03-17.