Yukon aboriginals want stake in Alaska Highway gas pipeline

Gary Park

Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

Yukon aboriginals are eager to follow the lead of their Northwest Territories counterparts and pursue an equity stake in the proposed Alaska Highway pipeline.

Dave Porter, a spokesman for the Alaska Highway Aboriginal Pipeline Group, said in a conference call that the Yukon First Nations would “like to be in a position to take an equity stake in the project.”

The group, formed in late September by First Nations in the Yukon and British Columbia, is a parallel organization to the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, which was formed three years ago to represent the ownership position of Native communities in the planned Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

In June, the Aboriginal Pipeline Group signed an agreement with TransCanada and the Mackenzie Delta Producers Group that opens the door to an aboriginal stake in the C$4 billion project, although some First Nations leaders in the Northwest Territories favor a share of revenues.

Porter said his group will open an office in Whitehorse, the Yukon capital, this month.

While not sure at this point what percentage of the pipeline Yukon Natives would seek he said there have been discussions with Natives in Alaska who are also eyeing an ownership position.

He said the Yukon group has signed a protocol with Arctic Slope Regional Corp., which “brings tremendous expertise and access to capital. The Alaskan Native economic clout is tremendous.” (See related story on page 1.)

Other tentative discussions have been started with groups along the pipeline’s Canadian corridor that Porter hopes will result in an alliance of aboriginals along the entire length of the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Porter has his fingers crossed that the U.S. Congress will soon adopt an energy bill that includes financial incentives to kick start the planning and regulatory phase of the Alaska project.