Carney government moves toward listing West Coast pipeline as national interest project

Carney government moves toward listing West Coast pipeline as national interest project

Notice published Aug. 1 marks the start of 30-day period before decision

The federal government is advancing the process to designate Alberta's proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast as a project of national interest.

A notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1 marks the start of a notice period to designate the potential pipeline as a project of national interest under Bill C-5.

That law requires the government to launch the 30-day notice period and consult with the government of the province or territory in which the project will be carried out before listing it under Schedule 1 as a project of national interest.

The Liberals' Bill C-5, or Building Canada Act, allows projects deemed in the national interest to have their approval process, including environmental assessments, fast-tracked.

The proposed pipeline would carry approximately one million barrels of crude oil a day along roughly 1,250 kilometres using a corridor similar to the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, according to the Alberta government.

Alberta has said it wants the pipeline to be built to increase Canada's energy independence and its global competitiveness.

The potential project has drawn the ire of many environmental groups.

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Julia Levin, the associate director of national climate with Environmental Defence, a Canadian environmental advocacy group, has criticized the pipeline's potential designation, saying the government is moving at "breakneck speed" and avoiding "due oversight."

"How many wildfires, heat waves, droughts, burnt down communities, ruined livelihoods and lost lives will it take for PM Carney to stop his reckless pursuit of expanded fossil fuel production?" she said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

In May, two federal government discussion papers floated further allowances for national interest projects — proposing approval before review and exempting certain projects from the "jeopardy test" in the Species At Risk Act.

The government's notice says Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will work with the Alberta and B.C. governments while consultations with Indigenous communities are underway.

The notice also sets a Sept. 18 deadline to allow the public to submit comments regarding the potential designation.

Brock Wilson is a senior writer and producer based in Toronto. He can often be found producing episodes for Rosemary Barton Live, About That with Andrew Chang and writing stories for the web. You can reach him at brock.wilson@cbc.ca.