The Chilliwack
Progress Thursday
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Chilliwack on the LNG highway
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Alina Konevski The Progress
LNG refuelling station will be a first for BC Alina Konevski The Progress A refuelling station for long-haul trucks that use liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected in Chilliwack within months. The station is the first of its kind west of Calgary, city council heard Tuesday. Chinese-owned ENN Canada Corp. is quickly creating a network of LNG refuelling stations across the country, with Chilliwack first up in western Canada. The plan is to work with transport companies and engine manufacturers to retrofit entire fleets of long-haul trucks from diesel-based engines to LNG-based engines. Refuelling with LNG will cost 20-40 per cent less per litre than diesel, according to ENN project manager Stephen Rohling. The new network of refuelling stations would provide truck drivers the confidence they need to use LNG trucks. “It’s new, it’s in its infancy. It’s a chicken and egg scenario. Which do we build first, the station or the trucks? We are trying to combine it so that the station and the trucks are going to be coming online at the same time,” said Rohling. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the City of Chilliwack approved ENN’s application to rezone their property at 44037 Progress Way to permit a natural gas bulk storage and sales facility and service station. Once all the paperwork is done, building the station will take about nine months. LNG will then be trucked in. Chilliwack is a natural stopping point for trucks travelling across Canada, as well as those coming in from Seattle and further inland, said Rohling. ENN is planning similar refuelling stops at every 600 km or so on major routes. Rohling himself is looking at 17 sites in B.C. and Alberta.
The Chilliwack Corn Maze is seen from the sky in this aerial photo taken on Wednesday. The local tourist attraction is celebrating its 15th season this year and the design in the maze features a Mountie on horseback in recognition of the RCMP’s 140th anniversary and the RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program’s 50th anniversary. The maze also features the Raise a Reader program logo, which is this year’s featured charity for the maze. The Chilliwack Corn Maze is now open until Halloween. Go to chilliwackcornmaze.com, or call 604-819-6203 for more info. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Within months of leaving office, former Chilliwack MLA John Les has been hired as a professional opponent to Metro Vancouver’s waste-to-energy incinerator plans. Les registered as a lobbyist for Belkorp Environmental Services last month, an appointment that extends until Aug. 1, 2014. The company owns Wastech Services, which operates the Cache Creek Landfill. “I was approached by them. Obviously their objectives fall very much in line with what has historically been my position on waste management in the Lower Mainland,” said Les. “The objective is that there would be no waste incineration in the Lower Mainland. I think the residents of the Fraser Valley here share that objective.” During his time as MLA, Les vehemently opposed the proposed WTE project, citing concerns about emissions from the incinerator damaging the sensitive Fraser Valley airshed. As a lobbyist, he will continue to advocate for solutions other than incineration. “There is a requirement to maximize recycling before other options such as incineration. Landfilling should be considered. And if we do a good job of recylcing, then actually the very best fuels for incineration are taken out of the waste stream,” said Les. “We’ll obviously be pointing those things out, and we think there are better and more enlightened options for dealing with waste management, that will likely be much cheaper for the ratepayers.” The part-time position is “natural” for Les. Continued: LOBBY/ p14
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Les joins lobby to block WTE
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