The “protocol agreement,” still in preliminary stages, calls for a direct connection to the Fort McMurray area from the southern end of the $5-billion Mackenzie Valley pipeline project. The 1,220-km Arctic line would end near the Alberta-British Columbia border, about 230km west of Fort McMurray. The agreement enables TransCanada to build, operate and maintain pipeline facilities on traditional aboriginal land in northern Alberta.
TransCanada communications officer Heidi Feick said that while the so-called north-central crossover project is still in the discussion stage, the company “has established a strong foundation for the future.” Dene Tha’ Chief Stephen Didzena said his community has accepted assurances by the National Energy Board that government authorities will work with aboriginal communities in ways that comply with legal requirements, such as meaningful consultation and accommodation, that are still evolving in the courts.
An executive committee comprising the heads of western and northern Canada’s environmental assessment and regulatory bodies has formalized the review steps for the Mackenzie project, in preparation for processing an application by July. The schedule reflects commitments established in a June 2002 Cooperation Plan for the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) and regulatory review. The committee agreed to timetables for setting up offices and coordinating the review processes of the various groups, including a review of participant funding applications, the release of a final draft of terms of reference for an EIA by 1 June, and the appointment of a seven-person joint review panel by the end of June. The committee represents the Inuvialuit Game Council, Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, N.W.T. Water Board, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and the National Energy Board.
The Inuvik-based Northern Gas Project Secretariat has also been established to coordinate public involvement and ensure that the public has easy and efficient access to information related to the environmental assessment and regulatory review. The federal budget in March earmarked $75 million for the next three years toward Northern energy development. Funds will be used to add federal and regional environmental assessment capacity and streamline the regulatory process.
Story courtesy of EnviroLine, Calgary, tel: +1 403 263 3272, email enviroline@shaw.ca.