B.C. Demands ‘Fair Share’ For Northern Gateway

Northern Gateway pipeline | BCBusiness
B.C. and Alberta are headed for a showdown as B.C. makes its approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline contingent on a list of five demands.

The provincial government unveiled a list of five mandates Enbridge must meet before receiving approval for its pipeline to the coast.

For better or for worse, our provincial government may have stopped the Northern Gateway pipeline in its tracks.
 
On Monday, the Ministry of Environment put a new list of demands on the table after a week of tension following a meeting between the premiers of B.C. and Alberta.
 
One of the more controversial requests is that Alberta cut B.C. a significantly bigger cheque for tax revenues from the $6-billion proposed pipeline. The ministry hasn’t settled on a specific figure, but the government says shouldering 100 per cent of the marine risk and around 60 per cent of the land risk is worth more than the estimated $6.7 billion in tax revenues B.C. would receive.
 
While asking for B.C.’s fair share isn’t a new concept, judging from Alberta’s quick retort, a bigger share of our neighbour’s resource profits is a pie-in-the-sky dream.
 
The other four guidelines apply to all proposed crude oil pipelines built in B.C. for the foreseeable future and include:
 

• Completing an environmental review process;
• Using leading prevention and recovery technology to manage and mitigate heavy oil spills on land;
• Addressing legal requirements to ensure treaty rights for aboriginal groups are protected; and
• Utilizing the best prevention and recovery technology to mitigate marine spills.

 
Obviously the two provinces are headed for a showdown, as one of them will have to compromise for the project to move forward.