Emilia Belliveau, Program Manager, Energy Transition at Environmental Defence, made the following statement in response to Alberta’s submission of a new one-million-barrel-a-day pipeline project to the federal Major Projects Office.
Montréal/Tiohtià:ke | Traditional, unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation, a gathering place for many First Nations, including the Anishinaabeg – Premier Smith’s pipeline proposal will be a failure. Trying to build another pipeline to the West Coast is a colossal waste of time and money. The fossil fuel industry only wants this pipeline if it comes as a handout from our governments. But Canadians, including Albertans, do not want to pay for another pipeline – especially when the cost estimates range from $35 to $100 billion dollars. There are better things for our governments to do with that money.
Pipelines are not a nation-building project, no matter the route. They’re a divisive distraction from building the infrastructure that would actually benefit Canadians. No number of new pipelines will lower the price of gas at the pump or protect Canadians’ pocketbooks, especially as climate change continues to make life more expensive. Real nation-building means investing in renewables that lock in affordable energy. It means transmission infrastructure that makes our grid more secure and resilient. True nation-building means investments in the communities and people here, not the U.S. or foreign-owned fossil fuel companies that are the primary beneficiaries of oil industry exports.
Countries that rely on oil and gas imports, the countries Canada is hoping to sell to in five to ten years, are now rapidly accelerating their energy transitions to avoid being impacted by the political whims of petro-states and the rollercoaster of global oil prices. The writing is on the wall: real energy security and sovereignty are best achieved through domestic renewable energy production and a modern grid.
Doubling down on pipelines reveals a lack of vision and leadership. Prime Minister Carney must reject Premier Smith’s pipeline pipedream before we all pay the price.
Background:
- Alberta submitted its proposed pipeline to the Major Projects Office yesterday as part of the Canada-Alberta MOU. The proposed southern route would pass through more populated communities, require consultation with impacted First Nations, and cross over a thousand kilometers of waterways, sensitive ecosystems and difficult construction terrain. Increased tanker traffic in the Salish Sea is also dangerous for the endangered Southern Resident Orca whales.
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These same conditions burdened the Kinder Morgan/TransMountain Expansion project, which faced significant resistance and accrued at least $7.2 billion in costs for “unforeseen challenges” that delayed construction once it had already begun. TMX was five years delayed, $27 billion over budget, and has used creative accounting to appear more profitable.
- A new one-million-barrel-a-day pipeline would add between 20 to 28 megatonnes of annual emissions, pushing Canada’s climate targets further out of reach. The additional climate pollution would not be offset by the proposed Oil Sands Alliance Pathways carbon capture and storage Project. The other policy measures included in the Canada-Alberta MOU, including changes to the industrial carbon price, do not lead to the necessary emissions reductions.
- Under the Canada-Alberta MOU, any new bitumen pipeline to the west coast was to be built with a private proponent, with no taxpayer dollars, and simultaneously with the Pathways CCS project. The Pathways CCS project is already being offered substantial government subsidies from Alberta and Canada, but as noted above would not offset the climate pollution produced by a new pipeline.
- There are better alternatives for strengthening the Alberta and Canadian economies, and making them more resilient and sustainable over the long term. For more insights, see the Environmental Defence’s New Frontiers: Alberta’s Path to Economic Renewal report.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Midhat Moini, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
