Gulf Oil spill disaster should be an environmental wake-up for B.C.

By Rob Fleming, MLA Victoria-Swan Lake and Official Opposition Environment Critic

The sinking of the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig has created an unabated environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the worst U.S. oil spill in history, the event is stark warning to British Columbians about the risks of oil drilling off our coastline.

Unfortunately, the B.C. Liberals are either unable or unwilling to acknowledge the importance of this catastrophe and its devastation of the fishery and marine ecosystems of our southern neighbours.

The B.C. Liberals have been strong advocates of coastal oil drilling ever since they took office in 2001. Their 2003 Throne Speech stated that “by 2010, your government wants an offshore oil and gas industry that is up and running.” Their 2007 energy plan committed to lift the ban on coastal oil drilling, saying they would “work with the federal government… to advance offshore development.”

On May 3, with millions of litres of spilled oil approaching Louisiana’s coast,  B.C. Liberal ministers refused to reconsider their push to open up our sensitive coasts to offshore oil drilling, even as U.S. Governors and Senators in Washington State, Oregon and California moved to permanently ban it.

During question period this session, myself and other members of the New Democrat caucus are asking the B.C. Liberals to do the right thing and cease lobbying the federal government to overturn B.C.’s four decade ban on coastal oil drilling. Again, they refused to abandon their pursuit of this dirty and destructive plan.

The unfolding tragedy in the Gulf is a reminder of all the reasons why it is important to maintain a moratorium on offshore oil and gas development in British Columbia. As that region’s fishermen are grounded and its tourism industry faces mass cancellations, financial stress and unemployment, we can see that in addition to all the environmental reasons to protect B.C. from offshore oil development, there are compelling economic reasons to protect our ocean from the risks of coastal drilling.

New Democrats are continuing to fight for a better future for British Columbia – a future that protects the environmental values that make our province special. Defending our coastlines from ecologically destructive development like offshore oil and gas is part of our plan to ensure that British Columbia continues to be both beautiful and prosperous for generations to come.