Canada wants faster approvals

A new voice delivered a familiar message May 19 when Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt said a drastic overhaul of the regulatory regime is needed to accelerate approvals for new oil and natural gas pipelines.

Tinkering with the existing framework will not ensure that delivery systems are built fast enough to meet growing demand for Canadian energy, domestically and in export markets, she told the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association.

She said sweeping changes are essential to make the system more transparent and efficient – echoing a line heard from Canada’s politicians for years, but never acted on with enough haste to pull the Mackenzie Gas Project out of its current regulatory bog.

Not looking for shortcuts

“We want the permits we receive to have validity so they stand up,” he said.

Raitt said the MGP is “central” to Canada’s future energy security and Canada’s pursuit of a place among the energy superpowers.

She said the government also supports a gas line from Alaska across Canadian territory, suggesting that project will benefit from a recently adopted “single window” entry into the Canadian regulatory system.

CEPA President Brenda Kenney said Raitt’s stand was “very welcome” for her group which has been calling for sweeping changes to speed up construction of C$80 billion worth of new infrastructure projects that are critical to the competitiveness of Canada’s economy and to providing consumers with fair energy prices.

She said delays don’t make the projects any safer or more environmentally sound.

—Gary Park