This week Premier David Eby issued two clear signs that he plans to greenlight a massive American gas terminal on the B.C. coast – over the objections of local First Nations.

Last Friday, Eby’s government approved a rerouting of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, across the mouth of the Nass River to the B.C.-Alaska border.

That’s the location of the proposed Ksi Lisims facility, owned by Texas-based Western LNG. The terminal itself would be built in Korea and floated over to Ts’msyen territory.

Six Ts’msyen communities, as well as the neighbouring Gitanyow Nation, opposed the seafloor pipeline because it would impact their fishing rights. But Western LNG co-owns the pipeline with the Nisga’a treaty government, which spoke in favour.

You can guess which side the B.C. government took.

Then on Tuesday, the Environmental Assessment Office announced the clock had run out for dispute resolution with two of the Ts’msyen nations who oppose the terminal. 

Metlakatla had raised concerns about the tanker route, and Western LNG’s plan to power the whole terminal by burning gas, with no clear timeline for electrification.

Lax Kw’alaams was alarmed by the project’s forecasted impacts on eulachon fishing in particular, as well as cumulative impacts on their territory due to accelerating climate change. 

The mediator reported that “the parties did not reach consensus” by the deadline. Now it’s over to cabinet ministers for a rubber stamp. And it sounds like Eby is in a hurry.