Edmonton-area mayors virtually unanimous in backing Gateway pipeline project
EDMONTON - Edmonton-area mayors officially backed the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline Thursday, sending a letter of support to the national panel reviewing potential economic and environmental fallout of the project.
“I’m going to call it a regional action for a global opportunity,” said Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston, who spearheaded the Capital Region Board effort.
“We want to let our voice be heard in the region for a global opportunity. That global opportunity is the ability to increase and improve Canada’s export of our national oil and national gas resources.”
The letter urges approval of the project. Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths suggested three month ago that the mayors reach out to their British Columbia counterparts to promote the controversial pipeline.
“The project will generate continuing, long-term economic growth that will benefit the Capital region, Alberta and Canada,” the letter says.
“Our national GDP will rise substantially over the next 30 years if the project proceeds, through new direct and indirect employment opportunities as well as providing increased revenues for all orders of government.”
Twenty-four municipalities in the greater Edmonton area belong to the regional board. Gibbons Mayor Bill Nimmo was the lone voice of dissent.
“I’m adamant about upgrading and having value-added (oil exports) because I think long-term, once all the construction is gone, what do we do with our people?” Nimmo said after the meeting.
While the proposed pipeline is expected to pass through land owned by Gibbons-area residents, Nimmo said he is worried about the pipeline’s proposed destination: Asia-bound tankers off the west coast of British Columbia, at Kitimat.
“I never thought I’d be looked at like maybe I’m a tree hugger, but you know that whole Great Bear Rainforest, when you come out of Douglas Channel and make a left turn, it’s all down along that coast there, and I think we could do better than putting that at risk,” Nimmo said.
He said he is not against the pipeline, but also raised concerns about China’s ability to refine Alberta’s oilsands bitumen: “Are we contributing to a chronic polluter? Sure we are. China has a terrible track record for pollution. ...
“You know, the oil’s not going anywhere, so we could take some time to make sure that we’re doing it a little bit better.”
If approved, the $5.5-billion pipeline will start at a terminus outside Bruderheim, east of Edmonton.
It has been opposed by environmentalists and B.C. First Nations, while getting mixed responses from Alberta landowners and indigenous groups. The Alberta government has said failure to build the pipeline will result in oil companies losing as much as $72-billion over nine years.
The Capital Region Board’s letter will be added to a growing pile of correspondence received by the three-member National Energy Board-Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency review panel. Pipeline hearings began in January and are expected to take place over the next 15 months throughout northern Alberta and British Columbia. The Edmonton-area mayors do not plan to make a presentation to the panel
taudette@edmontonjournal.com
Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Edmonton+area+mayors+virtually+unanimous+backing+Gateway+pipeline+project/6273854/story.html#ixzz1of3ORstv