On March 8, city council heard a joint presentation by Sustane Technologies and Canfor representatives regarding two proposed biomass/biofuel projects they hope to be up and running by the end of 2022. These plants would convert household waste to wood pellets, diesel and other materials. Jo Graber, founding member and current chair of the People’s Action Committee for Healthy Air (PACHA) and environmental columnist at the Prince George Citizen, has concerns over this truncated timeline, the lack of available scientific and environmental information, and city councils ability to make an informed decision on behalf of the residents of Prince George.
While Graber supports action that would divert garbage away from the landfill, he questions whether city hall has the current capacity to make informed decisions. “We need an environmental department,” says Graber, who states that since the elimination of the Healthy Communities Committee, there has been no central body tasked with providing research on industry proposals that could impact the environment and health. In the absence of this oversight, he worries that Prince George is susceptible to the sales pitches of marketing teams.
Jo Graber has been working to preserve Prince George's airshed since the mid 1990's. Photo courtesy of J. Graber.
According to Sustane Technologies, the company has contracted a “very reputable consultant” to support their independent environmental review and will be conducting a due diligence environmental review in addition to the mandatory oversight components. At the request of city council, the companies plan to provide updates on their progress. Michelle Ward, Senior Director of Communications and Government Relations for Canfor also said they are engaging with local First Nations and are “in the process of identifying other groups that would be interested in hearing from us”.
Graber asks “what are other cities doing with their landfills”, concerned that this proposal for garbage diversion and repurposing is the only one city council seems to be considering at this tiem. He also has concerns about building infrastructure to support the continuation of over consumption and plastic use. “We can recycle more, we can buy fewer goods, this is an economy that we’re living in that needs to buy things, that needs to package things in ways that we never used to do''. As reported by the CBC, some environmentalists in Nova Scotia, the site of the first Sustane Technologies plant, have expressed similar concerns.
Following the presentation on March 8, Councilor Cori Ramsey asked for clarity around certain pressing questions identified by Graber, including location. The plant is being proposed to sit on the site of Canfor’s Intercontinental Mill, at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers, approximately 2 km from Cottonwood Nature Park and within 5 km of Prince George’s downtown area.
The Sustane Technologies proposal is one of a number of industrial outfits that are looking to set up shop in Prince George. The West Coast Olefins plant remains steeped in controversy and cloudy information. As reported by CKPG, another proposal is also in the works from Tidewater Midstream. With public confidence in city hall shaken by a series of budget overages, Graber hopes for more transparency and democratic engagement. “Its not up to the city. Councilors are elected by us”.
Listen to the interview on CFUR-FM: