2014-11-12 Janet Holder quits Northern Gateway pipeline vancouverobserver/news/janet-holder-quits-northern-gateway-project Amid growing speculation that Enbridges beleagured Northern Gateway project is dead, the pipelines executive vice president said she will resign, effective Dec.31. She was the front-and-centre face of the project in all the pipelines TV ads and promotions. Over the past three years, Ive had the opportunity to travel to every region of the province. Its been an extremely rewarding experience, said Holder. But I have decided now is a good time to take a step back and focus on my family and my personal health. I look forward to spending more time with my husband at our family home in Prince George, she said in a statement. The former champion weight lifter has admitted in the past her triumph over cancer. Officially, the company is still moving forward with trying to meet the 209 conditions set out by the National Energy Board, and approved by the Harper cabinet in June. But all has been quiet on the western front of that pipeline - particularly among coastal first nations, said First Nations leader Art Sterritt. I dont blame her for resigning. Obviously the project cant go ahead, said Sterritt. I just wish her well in her future life, he added. Sterritt has long said the controversial project was a case study in how not to do aboriginal negotiations. Following its federal approval, the oil sands pipeline was hit by more than a dozen lawsuits from First Nations, recently emboldened by a Supreme Court Tsilhqotin decision (pronounced Chil-co-teen). The ruling requires industrial project proponents to first seek the consent of Aboriginal communities. Although Albertas new Premier -- former Harper cabinet minister Jim Prentice -- mused that moving the pipelines terminus to Prince Rupert from Kitimat might improve the pipelines prospects, the company has not announced any recent public statements that it has made much progress. The company has admitted that one of its biggest obstacles remains getting First Nations approval. Regardless, Enbridges CEO thanked her for a job well done. In leading the Northern Gateway team, Janet guided one of the most difficult projects in Canadian history through to regulatory approval, representing Enbridge and its partners with integrity. She built trust with communities by listening to their concerns and demonstrating Northern Gateways commitment to building a safe project that protects the environment, wrote Al Monaco. Under Holders watch, the project suffered a public relations setback after a 58.4% of Kitimat citizens voted conclusively against the project. The Vancouver Observer was there and captured video of the jubilant reaction from the crowd that gathered in downtown Kitimat to hear the result come in. Holder will continue to provide Northern Gateway with counsel as a consultant to the project. John Carruthers, president of Northern Gateway Pipeline, will take over her responsibilities. The $7.9-billion project was proposed to slice through virgin northern wilderness to pump 525,000 barrels of Alberta diluted bitumen per day on to super tankers in the Douglas Channel destined for Pacific markets. The mega-pipeline is one of several large oil sands pipelines in the works. By far the largest is TransCanadas Energy East proposal, followed by Kinder Morgans Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project. Enbridge also has a very substantial Line 3 Replacement pipeline planned between Edmonton and Michigan. The $7 billion pipeline would double Line 3’s existing flow -- from 390,000 barrels of oil per day to 760,000.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 03:33:22 +0000
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