A ribbon of steel could soon snake its way across Canada’s frozen north if the proponents and opponents can agree. One of the key issues of contention is the environmental impact.
This would be the planned MacKenzie Gas Pipeline. Stretching 760 miles (1,220 km), the pipeline would connect Transcanada Corp’s Alberta pipeline network by the Beaufort Sea and Canada’s Northwest Territories. High-powered partners of the project, including Imperial Oil Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil Corp, explain that the pipeline would supply up to 1.2 billion cubic feet of gas daily. Expansion plans, if necessary, have been also accounted for.
At an estimated cost of $16 billion dollars, the planned MacKenzie Gas Pipeline is no small task. Funding the project is just one challenge; gaining public acceptance will be another matter entirely. Stringent recommendations in regards to development and ongoing operation have been listed; prior to, and upon successful opening, workers and management of the plant must operate it safely and to code. The project’s initial regulatory requirements relating to environmental safety and preservation have been stiff – these include monitoring air quality, assessing construction and operational noise as well as observing the impact of local animals and vegetation.
Whether all parties can reasonably agree on all issues is a question yet to be answered. Should a family of grizzly bears be disrupted from their den as it is directly in the path of the pipeline will also have yet to be seen. The pipeline, remaining on the drawing board for the past 30 years, has yet to become a reality. Should everything line up accordingly, the MacKenzie Gas Pipeline should begin operating in 2014. One thing is certain though, a decision must be made one way or another soon as, with the more time passing, production costs will become increasingly prohibitive, perhaps making this pipeline even more difficult to build.
