Canada passes Pipeline Safety Act and signs Vancouver Declaration

Canada has passed the Pipeline Safety Act and signed the Vancouver Declaration with the provinces and territories on clean growth and climate change.

Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr and Minister of Transport Marc Garneau have announced several important decisions that will create middle-class jobs while protecting environmentally sensitive areas.

The government has approved Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Expansion Project. This approval is subject to 157 binding conditions that will address potential indigenous, socio-economic and environmental impacts, including project engineering, safety and emergency preparedness.

This $6.8bn project will create 15,000 new jobs during construction by twinning the current Trans Mountain pipeline system between Edmonton, Alberta, and Burnaby, British Columbia.

The government has directed the National Energy Board (NEB) to dismiss Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipelines Project application. The government has determined that the project is not in the public interest, as it would lead to crude oil tankers transiting through the sensitive ecosystem of the Douglas Channel, which is part of the Great Bear Rainforest.

The government has also announced a moratorium on crude and persistent oil tankers along British Columbia's north coast.

This area covers the Alaska–British Columbia (BC) border down to the point on BC's mainland adjacent to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and includes Haida Gwaii.

This decision was taken following consultations with stakeholders including indigenous groups and communities. The government will introduce legislation to implement the moratorium by the spring of 2017.

The government has approved Enbridge's Line 3 Replacement Project, subject to 37 binding conditions that will address potential indigenous, socio-economic and environmental impacts.

This will ensure that the pipeline and facilities are built and operated in a safe manner for Canadians and the environment.

This $4.8bn project will replace 1,067km of existing pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta, to Gretna, Manitoba, to boost its safety and integrity.

The project will generate economic benefits, including $514.7m in federal and provincial government revenues and 7,000 new jobs during construction.

It also provides an essential link to the North American refinery market for Canadian oil.

Carr said: “Our duty is to permit infrastructure so Canada’s resources get to market in a more environmentally responsible way, creating jobs and a thriving economy."