Debating Resource-Driven Development: A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage on the Pacific Northwest LNG Project in British Columbia

Sibo Chen

doi:10.3389/fcomm.2020.00066

Abstract

In Canada, the provincial government of British Columbia has been keen on building an export-oriented liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry since 2011. This paper examines media coverage of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project (PNW), which was considered as the flagship proposal of the BC LNG initiative, until its abrupt cancellation in July 2017. By tracing how six Canadian media outlets reported the rise and fall of PNW over a 36-month period, the paper explicates the intricate political and ideological struggles underlying the Canadian political economy’s growing dependence upon unconventional fossil fuels. The comparative analysis reveals that when explaining the project’s cancellation, fossil fuel advocates repeatedly deployed the “jobs killed by environmentalists” argument via opinion pieces appearing in commercial newspapers. This diagnosis, however, downplayed the far-reaching impacts of Asia’s LNG market conditions prior to the cancellation. By comparison, independent media played an important role in assisting LNG opponents to communicate PNW’s fragile economic basis to a wide audience. Overall, these findings highlight the significance of independent media in supporting diverse news accounts of energy controversies.

Highlights

The rapid proliferation of hydraulic fracturing in shale oil and gas extraction has brought significant changes to the global energy landscape
September 2014 is chosen as the starting point of data collection because back Petronas issued its initial threat of withdrawing the PNW proposal, which publicized the deep disagreement between the BC government and the Petronas-led consortium and prompted media speculation over the prospect of BC liquefied natural gas (LNG)
The quantitative content analysis reveals three different approaches taken by the media outlets in reporting PNW: (1) Postmedia was leaning toward industry stakeholders and on multiple occasions played a 2-fold role as both a cheerleader for extractivism and a conservative critic against LNG opponents; (2) CBC News and the Globe and Mail demonstrated slight pro-business leaning, but they tended to be more vocal about PNW’s inherent economic and environmental risks; (3) the Tyee and Canada’s National Observer sided with LNG opponents by advocating for the rejection of PNW

Summary

Introduction

The rapid proliferation of hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as “fracking”) in shale oil and gas extraction has brought significant changes to the global energy landscape. In North America, booming shale gas production has flooded the domestic market excessive supplies since 2010, with Henry Hub spot natural gas prices rarely surpassing $5/MMBtu (Tertzakian, 2018). Under this market condition, many shale gas rich regions are confronted with increasing competition and falling profitability, which makes reaching out to overseas markets for exports a high priority. Take British Columbia—Canada’s Pacific province—as an example: the provincial government has been keen on building an export-oriented liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry since 2011. In the official BC LNG development blueprint, Rich Coleman—the Minister of Energy and Mines—made the bold claim that “the province has committed to having our first LNG plant up and running by 2015, with a total of three LNG facilities operating by 2020” (BC Ministry of Energy Mines, 2012, p. 2).

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Conclusion