The Government of British Columbia has fined a subsidiary of TC Energy, Coastal GasLink, C$590,000 for ten additional penalties relating to environmental non-compliance. 

The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) in British Columbia imposed the penalties on Coastal GasLink because of concerns around insubstantial erosion and sediment control measures identified during inspections along the company’s pipeline between April and May 2023. 

Coastal GasLink’s pipeline was completed last November and connects gas fields in the north-west of British Columbia with the Shell-led LNG Canada project.  

Once the gas link becomes operational in 2025 it will be British Columbia’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.  

The EAO announced in a statement that the penalties reflect the regulator’s commitment to enforcing environmental measures and increasing penalties for repeated non-compliance.  

In its statement the EAO highlighted four previous penalties that were issued to Coastal GasLink for failing to adequately control erosion and sediment. 

In February 2022, a $72,500 fine was issued; $170,100 in May 2022; $213,600 in January 2023; and $340,000 in September 2023.  

The regulation added a further penalty of $6,000 for CGL after the company provided false and misleading information “related to maintenance inspection records in October 2022”. 

In a response to the additional environmental penalties, Coastal GasLink explained it accepts the role of the EAO in enforcing environmental legislation but identified the erosion and sediment issues and took immediate and decisive action to correct them.  

The company’s statement said: “Since the fall of 2023, Coastal GasLink has been fully and consistently compliant with the EAO on erosion and sediment control.” 

The 670km pipeline has compiled C$1.4m worth of penalties relating to environmental non-compliance.