Creating a legacy of environmental protection
The environment factors into everything we do at Coastal GasLink. No matter the circumstance, our team of dedicated environmental experts employ their skill set to treat every situation as uniquely as the environment that surrounds us.
"Building a pipeline in B.C. is not a simple task, especially when you’re crossing most of the province," says Joel Forrest, Coastal GasLink’s Director, Environment, Land, Regulatory & Law. "You’re going through several mountain ranges, water crossings, and we have lots of different environmentally-sensitive areas that we have to make sure we’re paying attention to as we construct."
That attention and respect for the land, culture, and communities is a core part of the extraordinary legacy Coastal GasLink is committed to building.
Joel’s environmental team is nearly 70 strong, and also includes more than a hundred additional environmental experts with knowledge in particular subject areas. This diverse team is made up of women and men with expertise across a range of environmental disciplines, including many from Indigenous and local communities across the project right-of-way. No matter where they are from, this team has a common set of values that drives Coastal GasLink’s commitment to protecting the environment every step of the way.
Our team is dedicated to implementing stringent mitigation measures that help protect every watercourse, every sensitive habitat, and every creature, no matter how small.
During critical timing windows, our team identifies and marks off important breeding and nesting habitat to minimize disturbance for birds and other sensitive species, and we have ensured the safe relocation of hundreds of thousands of amphibians. To prepare for spring break up, when field construction work is reduced due to soft ground conditions caused by melting snow and thawing ground conditions, experts implement extensive erosion and sediment control measures and environmental monitoring to protect the integrity of worksites; and they are even ready to respond to incidents created by others to ensure the integrity and preservation of the environment no matter what the cause.
I'm really proud of the work that we do here. We salvage amphibians, we work around birds’ nests, we time our work around caribou habitat, ungulate winter ranges. The goal is to ensure that the environment is protected, and that is happening. It makes me feel proud of the work that we’re doing every day.”
— Tommy Adair
Lead Environmental Inspector for Sections 5, 6, and 7.
Thanks to the careful and diligent work of our team, Coastal GasLink has safely completed eight of out of the nine major water crossings on this project. Together, our team is ensuring that a healthy environment is part of the extraordinary legacy Coastal GasLink is building for communities across northern B.C., the province and Canada.