Six B.C. and Yukon Anglican bishops demand fairness in Northern Gateway pipeline hearings
In a letter posted today - Good Friday - six Anglican bishops from across British Columbia and the Yukon have called on the ongoing environmental review hearings for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to demonstrate integrity and remain fair and free from federal political pressure.
"Recent public statements by various officials of the federal government, including the announcement last week of the streamlining of environmental assessment reviews, have raised concerns that NEB hearings may become subject to improper time constrictions and industry influence," said the bishops in the letter.
The bishops call on the National Energy Board review to hear the views of all people who live along the intended route of the pipeline, and pay close attention to the concerns of First Nations communities.
"In a project of this magnitude, it is imperative that the final NEB Report on Northern Gateway be thorough and credible and command wide public support," the letter stated.
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The text of the letter sent:
As bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada in British Columbia and Yukon we write to express our hope that the National Energy Board (NEB) hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline will demonstrate integrity, fairness, and freedom from political pressure.
Recent public statements by various officials of the federal government, including the announcement last week of the streamlining of environmental assessment reviews, have raised concerns that NEB hearings may become subject to improper time constrictions and industry influence.
In a project of this magnitude, it is imperative that the final NEB Report on Northern Gateway be thorough and credible and command wide public support. To this end, it will be critical to hear the views of all people who live along the intended route of the pipeline. In particular, we call upon the Board to pay close attention to the concerns expressed by First Nations communities whose traditional territories and waters the proposed pipeline and the marine supertanker traffic would cross.
We urge serious study of these concerns as expressed in the Save the Fraser Declaration [1] of indigenous communities, and by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. [2] We also draw attention to the statement by KAIROS,[3] a national ecumenical research group of Canadian Churches, and commend its analysis of the Northern Gateway project to careful study by all people of faith.
In the Christian year, this is the season of Holy Week. Throughout the nations, churches of every kind are recalling the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that the created world, which flows from his life, will be respected and safeguarded by all
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