$1.1 billion pipeline in northern BC moving ahead
Suncor and River Expedition disagree over impact of oilsands on water
$1.1 billion pipeline in northern BC moving ahead
By Gordon Hoekstra
Pacific Trail Pipelines’ $1.1-billion natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. is moving ahead, as the company has taken the critical step of filing its formal environmental application with the province.
The application consisting of more than 2,000 pages is being reviewed by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and a working group that includes provincial and federal regulatory officials. The application is not expected to be ready for public review until September at the earliest.
The natural gas project – a joint venture between Pacific Northern Gas and Kitimat LNG, which is a subsidiary of Galveston LNG – is the only one of several major oil and gas transportation projects in northern B.C., totalling more than $9 billion, that has not been put on the back burner.
While the project is dependent on a $500-million liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal being constructed at Kitimat, Pacific Northern gas officials are optimistic that will happen.
The LNG terminal in Kitimat – a project of the other partner Kitimat LNG – has already been permitted by the federal and provincial governments.
“Absolutely . . . we’re certainly moving ahead with our project,” Pacific Northern Gas senior official Greg Weeres said August 9th.
The application submitted by the company concludes in its executive summary that the 462-kilometre pipeline will result in no significant adverse residual environmental, social, economic, health or heritage effects.
“We’ve been working hard through the development of the application to consult with as many different parties as we can, including holding open houses and certainly consulting with First Nations along the route,” said Weeres. “As a result we’ve been trying to take into account all of that input from those consultations.”
The application is still open to change, however.
Once it’s been deemed complete by the province, a 180-day formal review process kicks in, which includes a 60-day public comment period. That period will include open houses where the company and the province will outline the project and the process, and where the public will have a chance to ask questions, said Graeme McLaren, an official with the province’s Environ-mental Assessment Office.
Finally, the assessment office will produce a report that outlines the scope of the project, its issues and how they have been addressed, noted McLaren. The Minister of Environment makes the final decision on the project.
Carrier Sekani Tribal Council official Tara Marsden said the council is disappointed the application was submitted without some kind of review process in place for First Nations.
“We make up more than 40 per cent of the pipe line route, it’s a significant factor,” she said.
While the council has been trying to work out a review agreement with the province and the company, they haven’t been able to do that yet, she explained.
Marsden said the council – which represents seven bands east of Prince George – doesn't have the resources to do a detailed review of the application.
And any conclusions about the project for the Carrier Sekani will have to come after a more detailed review, she said.
There was no consultation on the original natural gas line built in 1968 either, which is also a concern for Carrier Sekani communities, added Marsden.
The project will create construction jobs but no new permanent jobs, as Pacific Northern Gas already operates a natural gas pipeline between Prince Rupert and Summit Lake.
The idea is to liquefy natural gas by super cooling it and transporting it on specially built ships. At Kitimat, the liquid would be turned back into gas and sent along the pipeline.
While the Pacific Trail Pipeline route will follow the existing Pacific Northern Gas pipeline between Summit Lake, just north of Prince George, and Endako, west of Frasre Lake, from there, the pipeline will take a new, more southern route to Kitimat.
There are a handful of other LNG terminals proposed for the west coast of North America, and the fact that Kitimat LNG already has a permit in hand puts them ahead of the game, observed Chris Theal, an analyst with Tristone Capital, which has offices in Calgary; London in England; Houston, Tex., and Buenos Aries.
But the next key is securing at least 60 per cent to 70 per cent secure, long-term supply of natural gas to transport to the Kitimat terminal, said Theal. Once that happens that will move the project to the construction phase, he said.
Currently, Kitimat LNG has sewn up about 25 per cent of its supply from Australia. Other sources include Russia, Malaysia, possibly the Middle East, said Theal.
Suncor and River Expedition disagree over impact of oilsands on water
A Suncor official defended the oilsands giant’s record recently amidst criticism about the industry’s environmental effects, particularly on water.
Brenda Erskine, Suncor’s director of community relations, said it’s frustrating to hear accusations the oilsands industry only cares about economic gain.
“It’s very hurtful to hear them say we don’t care,” said Erskine. “We do care about the river. Our employees live in this community.”
Don van Hout, leader of the Athabasca River Expedition, stood beside his canoe and said the Alberta government has no plan for protecting the waterway and its watershed.
“At the headwaters of the Athabasca we were able to drink straight from the river without worrying about what was in it,” said van Hout. “But right outside Jasper National Park and onward there are concerns about the water you’ll drink.”
The Athabasca River Expedition is backed by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute, an environmental advocacy group. The expedition set out from the glacial headwaters of the Athabasca in British Columbia this summer and plans to paddle the river’s length to raise awareness about the toxic effluent from oilsands development.
Aerial view of Fort McMurray, the hub of the oilsands activity in Alberta.
George Poitras, a Mikisew Cree First Nations councillor an former chief, said the oilsands have had a “disturbing impact” on the Aboriginal community of Fort Chipewyan. A physician found a number of rare cancers and other diseases among residents in the community, he said.
“People's lives are cut short by cancers so rare that they shouldn't be found in a community the size of Fort Chipewyan,” said Poitras.
He also spoke about the many fish found with tumours, low water levels and arsenic-infected wildlife living along the river.
Celina Harper, an Elder from the Fort McKay First Nation, spoke about the impact the oilsands have had on her community over the years.
She remembers when she was growing up she could scoop the river water up in a pail and drink it. She can't do that now.
“It’s not the lives of the people that they care about. It's the money that they take from our land,” said Harper.
“Without water we cannot survive. We cannot drink oil to survive.”
But Erskine said Suncor spends thousands of dollars studying the Athabasca River to ensure poisoning does not occur.
“So far, all monitoring has shown no impact.”
Poitras wants the provincial government to put a moratorium on new oilsands development and expansion until a plan is set out to protect the environment.