June 26, 2025
RED FM News Desk
VANCOUVER, BC – The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, a natural gas pipeline venture in British Columbia, is currently entangled in a legal battle before the B.C. Supreme Court. While a segment of the pipeline route began construction last August on Nisga’a Nation territory, its overall legal fate remains uncertain.
Three distinct groups have launched a challenge against the project’s regulatory approval, specifically targeting a decision made last year by the BC Energy Regulator (BCER). They argue that BCER overstepped its authority by dividing the pipeline route’s Section 5 permit into two separate parts: 5A, covering Crown property, and 5B, which traverses Nisga’a land.
The Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Kispiox Valley Community Centre Association, and Kispiox Band are leading this legal challenge. They allege that the BCER’s decision to split the permit was a deliberate move to fast-track the approval process for a critical permit, thereby allowing construction to proceed on Nisga’a territory more quickly.
This legal dispute underscores ongoing tensions surrounding resource development projects in British Columbia, particularly those impacting Indigenous lands. The division of a single permit into two separate entities, one for Crown land and one for Indigenous territory, has raised questions about regulatory oversight and the pace of development approvals. The outcome of this B.C. Supreme Court challenge could have significant implications for future resource projects involving Indigenous land in the province.
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