By Hanneke Brooymans, Edmonton Journal, August 10, 2010
Northern Gateway would connect Bruderheim to Kitimat
WHITECOURT — Regulators need to make sure construction of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline respects native burial grounds, wildlife habitat and farmland, a joint review panel was told Tuesday.
Filmmaker Frank Wolf and friend Todd McGowan are tracing the path of Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway pipeline from north of Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. by bike and on foot. (Photograph by: Frank Wolf) |
The three-member panel heard presentations from five people in the first part of a session meant to gather opinions on what the scope of the hearings on the pipeline should be and where they should be held.
Sheila Leggett, vice-chair of the National Energy Board and panel chair, acknowledged in her introductory remarks that the project had attracted much attention, both in opposition and support. She told the audience of about 30 people that their comments would be reviewed, summarized and posted once all the sessions are complete. Two more public sessions will take place in Prince George and Kitimat, British Columbia.
Enbridge is seeking authorization to construct and operate two 1,172-kilometre pipelines from Bruderheim, north of Edmonton, to a new marine terminal at Kitimat. One of the pipelines will carry petroleum products westward while the other carries condensate back east. Condensate is used to thin petroleum products for pipeline transportation.
People presenting at the panel session in Whitecourt included citizens from throughout the region, including Grande Prairie, Sangudo and Whitecourt.
No one at the session in Whitecourt spoke out directly against the pipeline, but there were several issues people wanted addressed.
Bob Walker runs a trapline north of Whitecourt that has been affected by oil and gas activity in the past.
“We’ve certainly been impacted up until this point and this is the only time we’ve been asked to speak,” he said.
“We consider ourselves to be farmers out there, on the trapline. But we believe we’re stewards of the land and work with Mother Earth.”
During a break, Walker said previous pipeline construction in the area scared away a pair of swans that regularly nested in the area. They stayed away for two years.
The Enbridge pipeline would run 10 kilometres through his trapline area, he said.
“I don’t want to stop progress,” he said. “I just want them to be very aware of environmentally sensitive areas along it.”
Walker told the panel he was also speaking on behalf of aboriginal friends of his who want to make sure the project respects native burial grounds in the area.
One burial ground is within 100 yards of the pipeline route and during construction it’s possible that in a metre or two of snow, a cat driver moving pipeline could easily disturb that area, he said.
He also worried the route is running in the same corridor that already houses two other pipelines. He’s seen the damage an explosion can do in a pipeline running at 1,000 pounds-per-square-inch.
“Take Michigan,” he said, referring to the recent spill there. “What bad timing for Enbridge.”
But Daryl Yagos, a councillor for Woodlands County, is confident in the company. Yagos told the panel that the county fully supports the project, believing that it will greatly enhance growth both in Whitecourt and the county.
During a break, he said the pipeline would run from one end of the county to the other.
“I’m not worried about anything going wrong with the pipeline itself during the construction or operation of it.”
hbrooymans@thejournal.canwest.com
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