Energy Watch: Northern Gateway ruling looms – bnn.ca
ANALYSIS: Watchers of Canada’s energy sector ought to circle June 19th on their calendars. That is when the fate of Enbridge Inc.’s controversial Northern Gateway pipeline will be finalized.
Ottawa could decide sooner whether it will allow the 1,200km, $7.9-billion artery designed to carry more than 500,000 barrels per day of mostly oilsands bitumen from northern Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia. However, the call cannot come later than Thursday, June 19th.
That deadline stems from a December 19th 2013 ruling from Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB). An expert NEB panel recommended approving Gateway that day, subject to 209 conditions. By law, the government had 180 days from that ruling to decide whether to accept or reject the NEB panel’s recommendation, so technically speaking that clock runs out on June 17th, though most observers say the 19th is the true deadline.
Despite widespread opposition from local communities, First Nations and environmental groups, the government is broadly expected to approve the project and has been dropping several hints in recent weeks supporting that suspicion.
Read more: http://www.bnn.ca/News/2014/6/6/Energy-Watch-Northern-Gateway-ruling-looms.aspx
