Woodfibre LNG has now received a warning letter from the EAO. This letter is to raise your attention to the egregious failures to comply with regulations concerning the proper storage of hazardous materials. During an inspection in late February, inspectors found the violations. Jointly, they then issued a compliance warning to the company for the failure to adhere to the conditions outlined in its Environmental Assessment Certificate.
After Condition 21, which requires that hazardous waste be responsibly handled and stored, the inspection concluded that “Grounds for Approval Woodfibre LNG followed all but one of the applicable regulatory requirements during the legislative inspection. The EAO found fundamental flaws in their management of hazardous materials. EAO inspects the facility but the resulting inspection report published on the EAO website [EN] shows damning problems for the company. They didn’t keep hazardous materials, like batteries and oil, contained.
On February 24, 2025, compliance officers performed a follow-up inspection. Instead, they found Woodfibre LNG still consistently failed to comply with the conditions of its environmental assessment certificate. For example, they came across lead, mercury, and hundreds of other hazardous materials stored in open buckets with no lids, broken containers and no labels.
“Containers must be labelled with the shipping name of the hazardous waste it contains and stored, handled, and transported in ways that avoid leakage or rupture.” – EAO
The EAO has emphasized the importance of ensuring that “containers of hazardous waste must be kept closed at all times during storage or transport except when being filled or emptied.” These rules are meant to avoid future environmental dangers caused by the mismanagement of hazardous waste.
EAO Compliance and Enforcement Branch will be keeping a close eye on this situation, and after initial inspections have taken place, may carry out additional inspections if warranted. If Woodfibre LNG doesn’t address these concerns, the company should be prepared to suffer strong consequences. Under the Act, if you do not comply with an Environmental Assessment Certificate, you may be subjected to a significant penalty of up to $1 million. A repeat conviction could raise that penalty to up to $2 million.
In November 2024, inspectors found a small concrete spill of hazardous materials at Woodfibre LNG. Due to that failure, the company was issued an order of non-compliance. The inspectors found that batteries and oil were stored in an unsealed secondary containment area, essentially an open plot of land. This previous incident raised alarm over the company’s long-standing hazardous material management procedures.
“A notice of non-compliance was issued after an inspection on Nov. 7, 2024 found a minor issue with hazardous materials with batteries and oil stored in an unsecured area with no secondary containment. The re-inspection found hazardous materials stored in open buckets, missing lids, broken containers and missing labels.” – EAO site
The EAO has made clear that future or ongoing non-compliance will lead to further enforcement actions as needed. The agency’s goal is that all regulated businesses understand and fulfill their responsibility to follow environmental laws and safeguard the health of the American people and environment.
