British Columbia against pipeline to Pacific coast
Pacific pipeline cannot go ahead as proposed, British Columbia government tells review panel
TORONTO (AP) -- Canada's Pacific coast province of British Columbia told a federal review board Friday that it is not in favor of a pipeline to its coast that would allow tankers to export oil to Asia.
In its final written submission to a Joint Review Panel of energy and environmental officials, the British Columbia government recommends the $6 billion Northern Gateway project should not be approved as it has been proposed by Enbridge.
The province said the Calgary, Alberta-based company has not presented any real assurance that it would be able to meet its commitments to oil spill prevention.
The fear of oil spills is especially acute in pristine British Columbia, with its snowcapped mountains and deep ocean inlets. There is fierce environmental and aboriginal opposition.
The review panel will hear final arguments starting next month, and a final report is due to the federal government by the end of the year.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is determined to get the Pacific pipeline built and export oil to China after U.S. President Barack Obama initially rejected TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline from oil-rich Alberta to Texas. The decision to initially reject the pipeline went over badly in Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of Canada's energy exports.
The Obama administration is considering whether to approve the pipeline, which would carry 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta across six U.S. states to the Texas Gulf Coast. A decision is expected this summer.
The pipeline is critical to Canada, which needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production. The northern Alberta region has the world's third largest oil reserves, with 170 billion barrels of proven reserves.
A lack of pipelines and a bottleneck of oil in the U.S. Midwest have reduced the price of Canadian crude and have cost oil producers and the federal and Alberta government billions in revenue.
The Keystone XL pipeline has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate over climate change. Republicans and business and labor groups have urged the Obama administration to approve the pipeline as a source of much-needed jobs and a step toward North American energy independence. Environmental groups have been pressuring Obama to reject the pipeline, saying it would carry "dirty oil" that contributes to global warming. They also worry about a spill.
