WATCH ABOVE: Reporter Jas Johal sat down with Enbridge president Janet Holder for a live interview after the approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline was given. Holder and Johal discuss the pipeline timeline, the court process moving forward and sustaining opposition.
VANCOUVER – Enbridge says they, and their partners in the Northern Gateway Project, welcome Tuesday’s decision by the federal government to approve their pipeline project.
The government accepted the independent panel’s recommendation to impose 209 conditions on Northern Gateway proposal.
“The Joint Review Panel recommendation and the GIC approval are important milestones and reflect years of work by all stakeholders,” says Enbridge president and chief executive officer, Al Monaco. “However, we have more work ahead of us. The decision is one more step in the process; a process that requires a considered and respectful approach with our stakeholders.”
Going forward, Enbridge says they will focus on three priorities – meeting the Joint Review Panel’s 209 conditions, working with the B.C. government on its five conditions for supporting oil pipelines and continuing to engage First Nations communities to “build further trust and seek additional input that would make the project even better.”
READ MORE: Vowing to fight back: Groups opposed to Northern Gateway pipeline approval speak out
She says their number one objective is to engage with the Aboriginal community. “We will do what we feel we need to do in order to help build the confidence, or continue to build the confidence in B.C,” says Holder.
In a statement, Monaco says they are committed to maintaining high levels of safety and environmental protection.
“From the start, our first priority has been safety and the protection of the environment. It is what all Canadians expect of us and it is what we expect of ourselves,” says Monaco. “Northern Gateway is benefiting greatly from the input and engagement of communities along the right-of-way, Aboriginal communities and numerous technical experts in making this a truly world-class project. Today’s decision and the work of the JRP confirm that the project can be built and operated safely and that it’s in Canada’s national interest.”
The 1,177-kilometre, $6.5 billion pipeline project would transport 525,000 barrels per day of oil products from outside Edmonton to Kitimat on the northern B.C. coast.
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