Pipeline firm defends witnesses
Northern Gateway is asking the Joint Review Panel examining the environmental assessment application for its proposed pipeline to reject a request by an intervener for clarification on the rules.
The company claims B.C. Nature and Nature Canada are proceeding "from a fundamental misunderstanding of the practice and procedure of the National Energy Board" in their efforts to get the panel to provide details on what witnesses are allowed to do while answering questions.
The nature groups were concerned at the number of times witnesses would confer among each other and support staff before responding to questions as well as instances where questions were directed at one witness but answered by another. They asked the panel to provide a procedural direction to clarify the rules and to allow further questioning of the witness panel on shipping and navigation.
Northern Gateway lawyer Douglas Crowther said in a letter to the panel dated Monday that the company's witnesses are behaving appropriately.
"The [National Energy Board's] practice is also to permit the members of a witness panel to confer, the best able witness to answer questions posed, and more than one witness to respond to a question when appropriate," Crowther wrote, noting other regulatory agencies like the B.C. Utilities Commission follow a similar practice.
Crowther said the request for further questioning of the shipping and navigation panel by the nature groups "would be entirely unfair to Northern Gateway."
The panel has yet to rule on the request by the nature groups.
The shipping and navigation panel was the final group of Northern Gateway witnesses to face cross-examination during this phase of the hearings. They wrapped up their testimony this week and Northern Gateway has begun questioning witnesses from intervener groups.
Northern Gateway is seeking to build a heavy oil pipeline from northern Alberta to Kitimat and a terminal to load ships with Canadian oilsands products for export to Asia.
The panel will issue its ruling on the environmental application late this year and the final decision will be made by the federal cabinet, likely in early 2014.
Acccess article here: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20130410/PRINCEGEORGE0101/304109986/-1/princegeorge0101/pipeline-firm-defends-witnesses