Oliver council rejects potential trail-blazing expedition in changing official terminology around fossil fuels

Photo: File photo.

At the regular town council meeting on May 8, 2023 the correspondence report addressed a request from Edgar Dearden of GNAR Inc, suggesting that the town update its style guide to replace the term “natural gas” with “fossil gas” when referring to the gas supplied to consumers.

The report by Rochelle Lougheed, corporate officer for the Town of Oliver, explained that the changes intend to “clarify that the subject is fossil fuel”.

This motion put forward by Dearden noted that the term “natural gas” may lead to confusion about its nature as a fossil fuel, and therefore in the spirit of promoting the urgency in addressing climate change, the town should replace the term with “fossil gas”.

Coun. David Mattes responded by saying, “I guess it’s a question of bottom-up or top-down: bottom-up meaning council starting first and trying to sway the whole province and industry to change their terminology, or top-down being the people in the industry and provincial and federal government changing their terminology and us following suit. I would prefer the second choice.”

Council agreed with Mattes’ reasoning and did not move the motion.