Pipeline back on the radar
Published: September 03, 2008 5:00 AM
Black Press
Public consultation on Enbridge's Gateway pipeline project is set to begin in Smithers sometime in November.
Roger Harris, Enbridge vice-president of communications and aboriginal partnerships, was in Smithers Aug. 27 to discuss the project with Town Council and the Chamber of Commerce.
The 1,150-kilometre twin pipeline would run from Kitimat to Strathcona Country, Alta. just outside Edmonton, transporting oil to Kitimat to be loaded in oil tankers heading to California and Asia. Condensate, a chemical used in the treatment of oil for transport, imported through Kitimat would be piped to customers in Edmonton.
The project involves creating three tunnels through the Telkwa Pass totaling 12 kilometres long.
The proposed route would follow Highway 37 north from Kitimat before veering east passing just north of Burns Lake.
In 2005, Enbridge estimated the project would cost $4 billion — including $2.7 billion in wages spent in Northern B.C. The project is estimated to employ about 5,000 people over 12 "spreads" – construction sites.
In addition to environmental concerns of oil tankers trafficking off the Northwest coast, critics of the project want assurances communities near the pipeline will receive the jobs during and after construction.
Harris, the former MLA for Skeena and current Ombudsman for Forestry Safety, said his focus is making sure the project benefits Northern B.C.
"We are going to be offering an equity package to First Nations. We're thinking 10 per cent," Harris said. "That would make First Nations owners in this project and meet their long-term benefits. We're bringing an entirely new approach."
Public open houses on the project will run from September to November. Enbridge will be opening information offices in Kitimat, Terrace, Burns Lake and Grande Prairie in the fall.
