B.C. offshore gasline clears hurdles

Gary Park

Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

Three years of negotiating through a thicket of environmental and community opposition have ended in a landmark ruling in favor of a natural gas pipeline from Washington state to Vancouver Island.

Pending a final decision by Canada’s National Energy Board on non-environmental issues, GSX, B.C. Hydro and Williams Gas Pipelines can go ahead with the C$340 million project, now expected to deliver 100 million cubic feet per day by October 2005 for use by power generating plants.

The Georgia Straight Crossing includes almost 50 miles of overland and seabed pipeline in the United States and about 55 miles on the sea bed and land in Canada.

In the latest findings, a joint review panel of the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency raised hopes for any other offshore British Columbia ventures by expressing confidence that the industry can handle environmental challenges in sensitive offshore areas.

The panel sidestepped a multitude of arguments, ranging from opposition to fossil-fuel consumption and concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, saying those were matters for governments to handle.

However, it called on politicians to establish a “clear transparent process to incorporate public input into the province’s energy decisions” and avoid a “high degree of frustration and anger.”

The findings are viewed as ground-breaking as British Columbia enters an inquiry expected this fall that will explore lifting the ban on drilling the province’s offshore to meet the British Columbia government’s goal of having an industry up and running within 10 years.