We’ve exposed a major fossil fuel project that could threaten a vital ecosystem.
One of the key roles that Greenpeace plays is acting as a watchdog, keeping an eye out for environmental threats and injustices, and sounding the alarm when we see them.
This is exactly what Greenpeace Canada’s Climate Campaigner, Louis Couillard, did earlier this year.
Using Freedom of Information requests, Louis discovered that a Norwegian fossil fuel company called Marinvest Energy, which specializes in liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution, has been secretly lobbying Canadian politicians and ministers. Its goal is to develop a massive floating gas terminal, supplied by hundreds of kilometers of new pipeline, in Baie-Comeau, a city in the Côte-Nord region of Québec.
When Greenpeace Canada caught wind of this, we immediately broke the story to the press. We called on the federal government and the Québec government — which has a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects — to close the door on new fossil fuel and export projects, and focus on renewable energy instead.
Because this news worried the communities involved, Louis was invited to Baie-Comeau this fall, so the local residents could learn more.
Knowing the community would need answers, Louis brought along some friends — a lawyer, a climate expert, and an economist. While that sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, it was no laughing matter. Together, they fielded tough questions from over 50 residents, journalists, and local politicians at a packed town hall hosted by a local organization.
The goal was simple: get ahead of Marinvest Energy’s PR machine, and make sure the community hears the truth about the risks this project poses. And they did! Our message even reached Europe, the main market for East Coast LNG, through an interview Louis gave to a French news outlet.
Next, Louis visited Pessamit — an Innu community that would be directly affected if this project moves forward — and heard from local leaders and residents about their concerns. And finally, he visited the proposed site of the LNG terminal, which reinforced everything we’re fighting for.
Louis witnessed whales, porpoises, seals, and countless seabirds feeding right where Marinvest wants to anchor its floating gas plant. It’s a breathtaking ecosystem — and the idea of transforming it into an industrial export hub is unthinkable.
We’ve stopped projects like this before, and we can do it again. We’ll continue working hard to make sure political leaders — and most importantly, the public — see it for what it is: a risky, unnecessary fossil fuel gamble.
