Canada approves Northern Gateway pipeline project subject to 209 conditions; First Nations will go to court
18 June 2014
Enbridge Inc. announced today that pursuant to the Joint Review Panel’s (JRP) recommendation, the Northern Gateway Project (NGP) (earlier post) has received Governor in Council (GIC) approval by the Canadian federal government. The JRP’s recommendation was subject to 209 conditions.
The Northern Gateway Project is a proposed 1,177-kilometer twin pipeline system and marine terminal. The project would be capable of carrying 525,000 barrels per day of oil sands crude from Edmonton, Alberta to Kitimat on the British Columbia coast and more than 190,000 barrels per day of condensate back from Kitimat to Edmonton.
Enbridge CEO Al Monaco welcomed the decision, but also noted there is more work ahead for the company before construction begins.
Going forward, we will focus on three priorities: meeting the JRP’s conditions, working with the Province of B.C. on its five conditions for supporting oil pipelines; and continuing to engage Aboriginal communities to build further trust and seek additional input that would make the project even better.
—Al Monaco
The BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) has already issued a press release rejecting the decision and saying that First Nations will immediately go to court “to vigorously pursue all lawful means to stop the Enbridge project.”
Northern Gateway is the first pipeline project to be approved to enable Canada to diversify markets for its crude oil and achieve full-market-value pricing. The Project complements Enbridge’s broader suite of market access projects, currently in execution, that will open 1.7 million barrels a day of incremental market access to Eastern Canada, the US Gulf Coast and the US Midwest by 2016. With Northern Gateway, Canadian producers would have greater access to the fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific Rim.
This project (and the East Coast Pipelines) should have been approved and built 10 years ago instead of sending troops to Afghanistan for 10+ years at a cost of more than $12B + human lives.
With those pipelines, Alberta oil would sell for $105/barrel instead of $80/barrel and Eastern Canada would not have to import oil at higher price.
By loosing $25/barrel, Alberta-Canada is loosing up to $75,000,000/day or $27+B/year in potential Royalties, i.e. almost twice the cost of both West and East pipelines in a single year. That masquerade as lasted long enough.
Posted by: HarveyD | 18 June 2014 at 08:33 AM
How much of the $15B/year the First Nations get from the Federal Government will be used to take the Fed. Government to court.
A fast track directly to the Supreme Court could save time and money buy lower Courts would feel offended.
What an expensive hobby this is becoming?
Posted by: HarveyD | 19 June 2014 at 08:50 AM