[Premier of the bait and switch -- Ill give you a moratorium on shale gas for TWO pipelines -- does his happy dance.] Gallant applauds regulator’s support for Energy East JOHN CHILIBECK THE LEGISLATURE BUREAU New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant has welcomed the news that Quebec’s energy regulator has come out in favour of TransCanada Corporation’s Energy East pipeline. “Today’s decision by Quebec’s energy regulator is welcome news for the Energy East project that is so important to many Canadians,” the Liberal premier said in a prepared statement on Wednesday.“It’s good to see the merits of this project being recognized.” The regulator described the project, which would link up to 1.1 million barrels a day of Alberta crude to export terminals and refineries in Quebec and New Brunswick, as“desirable.” The regulator’s support does not give a green light to the proposal – that decision is in the hands of the federal regulator, the National Energy Board. Instead, Quebec’s regulator has issued its report as advice to the provincial government,whose premier,Philippe Couillard, has expressed only conditional support for the project. He, along with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, has issued a set of five conditions they want fulfilled before giving their approval. There are big concerns in Central Canada that natural gas users would be hurt by Energy East. For about two-thirds of the way, an existing segment of cross-Canada natural gas pipeline would be converted to oil service, with new pipe to be built through Quebec and New Brunswick. Calgary-based TransCanada filed its regulatory application to the National Energy Board in October. Pushback against the project has emerged on various issues, including the need to protect a beluga habitat in Quebec’s St. Lawrence River, where plans to build one export terminal have been put on hold. In New Brunswick, the governing Liberals and Opposition Tories are gungho about Energy East, arguing it will enrich all Canadians and create badly needed jobs. According to an independent report prepared by the Conference Board of Canada,the project is expected to support more than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs in New Brunswick over the seven-year development and construction phase, and $760 million in tax revenues in the province during construction and the first 20 years of operation. The only political party in New Brunswick opposed to Energy East is the Green party, which says it will lead to greater greenhouse gas emissions, contribute to global warming and, ultimately, risk the safety of the planet. In an assessment released on Wednesday, Quebec’s energy board said petroleum shippers should assume the costs related to that aspect of Energy East because the project was conceived primarily with them in mind. The Regie de l’energie added that distributors of natural gas should not be the only ones to pay for the gas-related portion of the pipeline. Quebec Energy and Natural Resources Minister Pierre Arcand reacted to the comments by saying he hopes TransCanada and Gaz Metro, Quebec’s gas distributor, reach agreement on a common vision with acceptable costs. They must “take into consideration the interests of consumers and businesses in terms of natural-gas prices,” he said. The board estimates the demand for natural gas in Quebec will grow by about two per cent annually between now and 2030 and that the only reliable option is to buy gas from outside Quebec and bring it into the province via TransCanada’s network. It also stated that shale gas in Quebec and natural gas from Anticosti Island “cannot be considered reliable supply options … notably because of issues related to economic viability, the environment and social acceptability.” The energy regulator did not look into the route of the pipeline nor study the potential environmental consequences of the project.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:19:19 +0000
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