The Latest Update on the Energy East Pipeline Conundrum
– Momentum Public Relations –
Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre met behind closed doors on January 26th, 2016 to discuss matters pertaining to the Energy East pipeline and several ongoing infrastructure projects. The Energy East pipeline, if implemented, would carry bitumen to refineries and ports in New Brunswick from Saskatchewan and Alberta. Given rising tensions between Western Canada and Quebec on such matters as of late it seemed fitting that the two leaders would get together to try to resolve their differences on the environmental and financial ramifications of the Energy East pipeline project.
For those unaware, Coderre was criticized by many due to his stance on the Energy East pipeline project. That is, Coderre and over 80 Montreal area communities were vehemently opposed to the construction of the pipeline, triggering a fervent backlash from the West.
Coderre felt that the possible environmental repercussions of the pipeline far outweighed the possible financial benefits that the province would reap from the project. That is, he felt that while the city of Montreal would earn roughly 2 million per year from the pipeline, an environmental disaster brought on by a monolithic oil spill could cost the city upwards of 10 billion dollars to cleanup.
Trudeau, on the other hand, plans to have various political, social, and environmental groups look at the pipeline’s possible social and environmental impact (i.e., greenhouse emissions), giving leaders from different respective groups, including Aboriginal people, a chance to have their voices heard before plans are undertaken.
Furthermore, Coderre spoke openly about finding a balance between sustainable and economical development. For instance, while he accepted the Line 9B pipeline reversal project because the organizers provided comprehensive environmental impact reports, Coderre claimed that there were no viable contingency plans for a global environmental disaster, and that caveats must be addressed before plans were allowed to go forward.
It should also be noted that, just hours prior to the meeting between Coderre and Trudeau, federal environment commissioner Julie Gelfand released an audit that found that the National Energy Board had fallen short of its promise to follow up on compliance issues as well as fail to implement pipeline approval protocols. That is, the National Energy Board had failed to ensure the proper operation of over 70,000 km of existing gas and oil pipelines; which were being maintained and operated by nearly 100 different enterprises.
Ms. Gelfand also stated that, “[She] found that the board’s tracking systems were outdated and inefficient”. In fact, of the 49 cases that were assessed in the audit nearly half (24) had vital documentation that were incomplete, inaccurate, or missing altogether.
As for Mr. Trudeau, he emerged from the meeting with the optimistic stance that Canadians across the map would come onboard of the proposed infrastructure project once the Liberal government had been given the opportunity to overhaul the anemic review process and demonstrate the viable economic growth that such a pipeline project would bring.
De facto, Ms. Gelfand’s report found that the pipelines that were regulated by the Federal government moved over 160 billion dollars worth of gas and oil to international and Canadian markets in 2014. The report also claimed that approving the proposed pipeline construction project, amongst others, would nearly double the existing pipeline capacity in the next 4 years while also investing nearly 25 billion dollars in project development initiatives.
In addition, the report stressed that the energy board would need to work harder to recruit and retain qualified experts; which would not be a daunting task due to the recent massive layoffs that have have hit the oil and gas industry in Canada due to plunging global oil prices.
In sum, while nothing has been finalized between Quebec and Western Canada regarding the proposed Energy East pipeline project, the Federal government has claimed that it will factor in the effects of greenhouse gas emissions to the project’s approval criteria. Moreover, many pundits- including National Resources Minister Jim Carr-have stressed that ongoing consultations must take place between board members and First Nations leaders in order for the public to get behind the impending pipeline projects. For more information on the ongoing debates involving the Energy East pipeline and associated projects please click here.
Good article. I will be dealing with many of these issues as well..