Carney says northern British Columbia tanker ban will stay as Canada pursues Alberta pipeline
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Premier Mark Carney said Thursday that a proposed pipeline to carry Alberta oil to the Pacific Coast would preserve a longstanding ban on oil tankers off the coast of northern British Columbia as his government addresses environmental concerns and seeks to ease separatist tensions in oil-rich Alberta.
Carney says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will announce details on the issue a possible route at a joint news conference in Calgary later Thursday.
His government has made expanding pipeline capacity to the Pacific a priority as it aims to diversify Canada’s oil exports beyond the U.S. market. long-standing complaints In Alberta, his predecessor stymied the province’s energy industry and It fueled separatist sentiments.
Alberta will hold a referendum in the fall on whether to hold a referendum on seceding from Canada. Building a pipeline would alleviate some of the separatist sentiment.
British Columbia and some First Nations oppose a pipeline through northern British Columbia.
Carney said, “The tanker ban will continue. We will protect the northern coast of British Columbia.”
Carney also said Thursday that he would compensate British Columbia for environmental risks if a pipeline is built in the southern part of the province.
An earlier memorandum of understanding for Ottawa and Alberta included a regulation regarding the oil tanker ban on parts of the British Columbia coast; But British Columbia Premier David Eby also said Thursday that the province is committed to keeping the northern tanker ban in place while protecting the province’s pristine northern coast.
“It ensures that the northern tanker ban remains in effect and ensures that British Columbians are fairly compensated for environmental risks if a pipeline goes ahead,” Eby said.
Carney sets target for Canada to double revenue non-US exports He said that over the next decade, the pipeline could reduce the undercutting of current oil sales to U.S. markets.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government also opposed a pipeline that would cross northern British Columbia and the Great Bear Rainforest.
Trudeau approves pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s south coast but rejects Northern Gateway project in the midst of opposition environmentalists and Indigenous communities.
Alberta has one of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and Canada is seeking to gain greater access to Asian markets.
