A Haisla Chief is Frustrated Waiting on Government Regulatory Decision for Cedar LNG. Indigenous communities hope for economic and social transformation as they develop large resource projects. The Haisla Nation is growing anxious for a regulatory decision on its proposed $3-billion Cedar LNG project on the west coast of Canada at the Port of Kitimat. If constructed, the floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility, in partnership with Pembina Pipeline, would be one of the largest industrial projects ever developed by an Indigenous community in Canada. An approval decision from provincial and federal authorities was expected before the end of 2022. “In regard to the approval of the environmental assessment, it has definitely been frustrating to say the least,” said Haisla Nation Chief Councillor Crystal Smith during an interview at the B.C. Natural Resources Forum in January. “Cedar LNG is at such a critical point with what’s happening globally in the energy sector.” A spokesperson for the Government of British Columbia said the Cedar LNG project is still being reviewed.
The Forest Service says a Black Hills gold exploration project will continue, regardless of the public outcry.
There was collective outrage last Thursday as several hundred people gathered for a public meeting on a proposed exploratory gold drilling project in Custer County when Hell Canyon District Ranger Rob Hoelscher answered “yes” to the question, “Will this project be approved regardless of what we say?” Minnesota-based F3 Gold, who recently came under fire in the Black Hills for a gold mining exploration project near Jenny Gulch in the Pactola area, is proposing 39 drill sites across five acres of Black Hills National Forest land west of Custer to search for gold. Access would be via public roads, like Upper French Creek Road via Highway 16, with about 5,500 linear feet of temporary access alignments.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
