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Responding to Mackenzie gas line report
Gary Park For Petroleum News
The Canadian and Northwest Territories governments have given their full backing to only 10 of 115 recommendations to soften the environmental impact of the Mackenzie Gas Project.
In a joint response to the work of a Joint Review Panel, which explored environmental and socio-economic aspects of the proposed MGP, the two governments issued an interim response May 17.
They said 10 of the JRP’s recommendations would be accepted as written, 28 would be rejected outright and 77 were rated as acceptable with changes.
The rest of the JRP’s 176 recommendations were not considered relevant to the governments. The remaining 61 were directed at the National Energy Board and the Alberta government.
Some recommendations not workable Although they did not specify which recommendations were accepted, rejected or needed changes, the governments said some recommendations might constrain development in the NWT, some would require long-term government funding commitments which could not be provided at this time and some carried timelines that could not currently be adopted.
The two governments said their proposed responses support environmental mitigation ranging from permafrost and terrain monitoring, inspection and enforcement strategy for fish and fish habitat protection, plans for dredging and barge landings, recovery strategies and action plans for species at risk, habitat offsets in response to future development in the Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary, implementation of the NWT Protect Areas Strategy and spill prevention procedures.
The NEB is expected to decide in September whether to approve the MGP application and under what terms.
NWR aboriginals asked for input NWT Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger said the governments’ interim response has been passed on to aboriginal governments in the NWT for their input.
He told CBC News that the Canadian, NWT and aboriginal governments will now be involved in an exchange of information.
“When that is finished the information will be pulled back together,” he said. “Then at some point, closer to the fall, there will be a final report.”
Once consultations with the aboriginal communities are completed, a government response must be submitted to the JRP for review before a final response is submitted to the NEB.
Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice said in a statement the release of the joint government response “brings us closer to another MGP milestone.”
He said finalizing the environmental assessment will “assure Northerners and all Canadians that the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the project have been assessed under a rigorous process.”
Indian Affairs and Northern development Minister Chuck Strahl said the interim response is in keeping with the overall intent of the JRP report.
Noting that the two governments have accept in whole or in part the intent of the “vast majority” of JRP recommendations, he said the two governments have concluded that implementing the interim response would “eliminate or significantly reduce any of the adverse impacts of the MGP.”
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