#nopipe

It’s Not Over Yet: NO LNG

For People - For Water - For Salmon - For the Future

Screen print by Roger Peet . July 2019

“I made this poster to support ongoing efforts to stop the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas terminal and Pembina pipeline, a fossil-fuel boondoggle that the people of southern Oregon and Northern California have been resisting for several years now. Rural people, Indigenous people, youth, elders and everyone who loves the land have maintained a spirited opposition to this terrible idea, and have won several important victories. Unfortunately the fight isn’t over until it’s over, and this is a reminder of that. In addition to this edition on nice paper, I made a big run of this print on cheaper paper for Rogue Climate to distribute in affected communities. Sales of this print will support more work like that. More information about the fight to stop the pipeline is available here.

Northern Pulp will continue to use its Boat Harbour wastewater treatment plant until the end of April as the company prepares the facility for its indefinite closure.

Without a place to send its effluent, the mill cannot operate.

In announcing his decision, McNeil also detailed plans for a transition team that would include officials from multiple departments, the forestry sector and Nova Scotia Community College and work with a $50-million fund to help workers trying to determine their next step.

In a statement, a government spokesperson said officials remain committed to helping the workers and forestry sector deal with the loss of what is the largest player. The mill employed about 350 people and several thousand jobs within the sector have ties to the mill.

Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Andrea Paul quickly became emotional as she spoke to reporters following McNeil's announcement.

"It's been a long time coming," she said.

Paul said she's grateful to the premier and government, as well as her community.

"This has been a very challenging issue. I know it wasn't going to be easy for people around Nova Scotia, and I don't take that lightly."

The premier's decision is "a huge statement" when it comes to respecting Indigenous people and their struggles, she said, and sets an example for others to follow.

After three days of public silence, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil delivered a decision that could define his time in office — his government will not amend the Boat Harbour Act, forcing the closure of Northern Pulp's effluent facility by the end of January.

The move keeps a promise McNeil made to a First Nation almost five years ago and ends what his own government has referred to as one of the province's worst examples of environmental racism.

But it likely forces the closure of Northern Pulp, the Pictou County mill that is the largest player in the province's forestry sector, and could kill as many as 2,700 forestry-related jobs.

Received today from Don Wilson, who has written many op-eds about NS forestry in Saltwire publications (some cited on NSFN):

After the Pulp Mill

The Supreme Court of Canada web site has published it’s Dec 6, 2019 decision that says pulp mills are responsible for clean up of pollutant(s), not governments, irregardless of indemnity contracts previously given or signed.

The Boat Harbour Act requires the Pictou County mill to stop pumping effluent into the lagoon by Jan. 31. An amendment to the act would be required to change that date, however the province has yet to say whether it would consider that amendment.

Premier Stephen McNeil is expected to speak publicly about the future of Boat Harbour on Friday.

Nova Scotia’s environment minister is withholding approval of a pulp mill’s proposal to pump 85 million litres of treated effluent daily into the Northumberland Strait.

Gordon Wilson says the province doesn’t have enough information to determine if the Northern Pulp project will harm the environment.