Rally planned for proposed B.C. biofuel project

Opponents of a proposed biofuel project that would be built on Semiahmoo First Nation (SFN) land almost within sight of the international Peace Arch will gather at the border crossing on Sunday, October 29 at 1 p.m. The protest is being organized by the Clean Air Alliance – Residents Opposing Biofuel in South Surrey (bit.ly/3S8WLIp).

The project first caught the public’s eye following a June 27, announcement of $14.4 million in federal support of a facility that would convert food scraps from the Lower Mainland into biofuel. According to the SFN, the facility would divert 70,000 tons of food waste from landfills annually.

If approved, the facility would be built immediately west of Highway 99 across from the Peace Portal golf club, south of 8 Avenue, and less than 1 kilometer north of the Peace Arch border crossing.

The project would be jointly owned by the SFN and Andion Global Inc., a Vancouver-based company that has built over 50 biofuel facilities worldwide. The project would employ 14 people, preference being given to SFN members. An average of 20 trucks a day would enter and exit the site, according to the proponents. Andion and SFN has entered into an agreement with Fortis BC that would extend a gas pipeline onto the reserve for the first time.

Opponents to the project center their objections to four main areas of concern. One, they feel it is located too close to the “unique and fragile ecosystem of the Little Campbell River.” Two, health risks due to release of gases “into the atmosphere and the air over 3,600 homes and two elementary schools (in Canada).” Three, safety. According to the Clean Air Alliance, biofuel facilities have a “high risk of explosion,” citing more than half a dozen explosions have taken place since 2015. Finally, the group cites traffic and location concerns.

According to the Canadian government, prior to funding, financing, or issuing a lease or permit for the project, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), and Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) must complete an environmental assessment determination as to whether there will likely be significant adverse environmental effects arising from the proposed project. A second of two 30-day public comment periods ended in mid-October. 

The government statement goes on to say the proponent has provided Metro Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (GVS&DD) with the information that would normally be required to obtain permits from Metro Vancouver and GVS&DD for this type of facility off-reserve. Air dispersion modeling has been completed by the proponent and reviewed by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health.