The Northern Gateway Project: A Pipeline to Uncertainty
Introduction
The Northern Gateway pipeline (NGP) has been a topic of controversy that has attracted support and opposition since Enbridge first submitted the project proposal in 2010. As of June 2014, the pipeline was given approval by the Joint Review panel, subject to Enbridge accepting and meeting 209 conditions (Axsen, 2014). In spite of the project’s approval, there remain questions regarding the impacts of the NGP on the political, economic, and environmental framework of Canada. Given the complexity of the affects of the NGP, the scope of this paper will be limited to examining environmental and economic implications that the NGP will have on Canada. This paper argues that although the NGP offers Canada short-term economic benefits, the project is not guaranteed to be beneficial for the Canadian economy and is not sustainable for the environment unless environmental impacts and the importance of sustainable design are sufficiently addressed in the NGP project proposal.
NGP Project Overview The NGP is a project consisting of a twin pipeline system that will carry 525,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta’s oil …show more content…
A notable concern was voiced by British Columbia’s Premiere Christy Clark who stated that while Alberta will receive great benefits from the construction of the pipeline, British Columbia would have to endure the most environmental risk, as a majority of the bitumen would run through British Columbia and would be transported from the province’s coast (CBC, 2012). Alongside Premiere Clark, the municipality of Terrace has voiced similar opinions by stating that although the pipeline may generate revenue for Ottawa and Alberta, it would be the surrounding communities who would undertake the most risks for the least benefits (Meissner,
Introduction
The Northern Gateway pipeline (NGP) has been a topic of controversy that has attracted support and opposition since Enbridge first submitted the project proposal in 2010. As of June 2014, the pipeline was given approval by the Joint Review panel, subject to Enbridge accepting and meeting 209 conditions (Axsen, 2014). In spite of the project’s approval, there remain questions regarding the impacts of the NGP on the political, economic, and environmental framework of Canada. Given the complexity of the affects of the NGP, the scope of this paper will be limited to examining environmental and economic implications that the NGP will have on Canada. This paper argues that although the NGP offers Canada short-term economic benefits, the project is not guaranteed to be beneficial for the Canadian economy and is not sustainable for the environment unless environmental impacts and the importance of sustainable design are sufficiently addressed in the NGP project proposal.
NGP Project Overview The NGP is a project consisting of a twin pipeline system that will carry 525,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta’s oil …show more content…
A notable concern was voiced by British Columbia’s Premiere Christy Clark who stated that while Alberta will receive great benefits from the construction of the pipeline, British Columbia would have to endure the most environmental risk, as a majority of the bitumen would run through British Columbia and would be transported from the province’s coast (CBC, 2012). Alongside Premiere Clark, the municipality of Terrace has voiced similar opinions by stating that although the pipeline may generate revenue for Ottawa and Alberta, it would be the surrounding communities who would undertake the most risks for the least benefits (Meissner,