Canada Moves to Fast-Track West Coast Oil Pipeline Project

The federal government has taken steps to designate a proposed oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast as a 'national interest' project. This move would allow the project to bypass some environmental laws and fast-track approvals.

The pipeline, owned by Trans Mountain, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation, aims to transport upwards of one million barrels of crude oil from Bruderheim, Alta. to a port near Delta, B.C. for shipment to international markets.

In a notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1, the government set a Sept. 18 deadline for comments on the national interest designation. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will work with the Alberta and B.C. governments on the project while consultations with Indigenous communities are underway.

Critics, including Julia Levin of Environmental Defence, argue that the government is moving too quickly to approve the project without proper oversight. The proposed pipeline is a central component of an energy agreement between the federal and Alberta governments.