The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is a proposed project linking Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia in order to transport oil from the Athabasca oil sands to foreign markets. This pipeline extends thousands of kilometres and consists of a westbound pipeline from Bruderheim to Kitimat which transports bitumen oil and an eastbound pipeline which transports oil condensate. This project will be managed by the Canadian oil company, Enbridge Inc.
Many local residents of the proposed pipeline site are concerned about damages during construction to the natural environment. In addition, it is quite well known among most Canadians of the severe environmental impact of an oil spill or leakage. Enbridge is quite aware of them as well, and has put forward countless protective measures to ensure that the environmental impacts of building and to maintain that a pipeline such as the Northern Gateway will be minimal.
Pipelines are often the method of choice in transporting resources such as oil. They are considered to be the safest form of transporting oil, according to Federal Natural Resources Minister, Joe Oliver. Pipelines also generally accommodate a greater volume of petroleum products than other conventional transport methods, such as railways or trucks. They are the most environmentally friendly method of transporting oil over long distances. The distance from Bruderheim, Alberta, where the oil is situated and Kitimat, British Columbia is 1777 km. With the additional barrier of the Rocky and Coast Mountains, methods of transport such as shipping with trucks would be unreasonable in terms of cost and energy.
With an expected volume of transported oil to be 525 thousand barrels per day, the design of the pipelines have been carefully planned to be as risk free as possible. The thickness of the pipes are designed to be 20% thicker than the standard requirements. Precautions were made to prevent easy corrosion and weathering of the pipes through the application of a durable coating system. The construction of the pipeline will go through land that has, for the most part, already been disturbed, and careful consideration has been taken to ensure that the pipeline will not affect adjacent water systems. The pipeline will be monitored around the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Aerial surveillance is planned to be done frequently every two weeks. Additional safety features include “132 remotely operated isolation valves on each pipeline, dual leak detection analysis and additional in-line inspection systems to ensure safe operation of the pipeline.” In compliance with strict regulations, emergency response teams will always be readily available should any situation arise. Leaks in the pipeline are to be stopped as soon as possible, and any contaminate soil or water is immediately removed and treated. All leakages or spills are to be reported to provincial and federal regulators immediately.
The installation of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline will benefit the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia greatly in terms of economic growth. Many new jobs will be created in BC with the project, with over 3000 in construction along with 560 long term positions. The jobs from the pipeline construction and management will also provide workers with many useful skills that are transferable to several industries outside of pipelines. Thus, even workers on the shorter term contracts should easily find a new job with newly acquired transferable skills.
The Northern Gateway project is projected to generate $1.2 billion in tax revenue alone for British Columbia, with an additional $4.3 billion from labour related income in the next 30 years. Also in the next 30 years, billions of dollars are expected to be contributed to the national GDP by this project. $32 million will go into the pockets of families and communities every year from the newly created jobs.
Around 30 000 jobs will be directly and indirectly created during the construction of the pipeline and 2500 are expected to be permanent when it is operational.
In Alberta, 1100 construction jobs along with 380 long term positions will be created. Like in BC, the Northern Gateway project will benefit the communities of Alberta. A 30-year $100 million investment on communities in proximity to the pipeline construction will ensure that the long term benefits will greatly exceed any immediate risks or disadvantages.
The long term rewards of the Northern Gateway pipeline will provide plenty of funding for public works, education, and other services for communities.
Perhaps the greatest benefit economically will be for Canada as a nation. Canada has the third largest crude oil reserves in the world. With the currently operational pipelines, Canada can only sell the oil to the United States. The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline will open new markets internationally to sell Canadian oil. With the pipeline, Canada will be able to ship its oil from the Alberta oil sands through BC to Asia, where Canadian oil is in high demand. There have been some claims that not selling the oil internationally could harm Canada economically. If foreign buyers can’t buy Canadian oil, they will simply look elsewhere.
There have been concerns of the pipeline project being detrimental to the First Nations lifestyle especially in British Columbia, where the pipeline goes through several reserves. Haida First Nations on the west coast are primarily concerned with potential tanker spills. Northern Gate representatives have stated that such tanker spills are rare, one in 15 000 odds, and are getting increasingly so as safety measures and technology improve every year. In 2012, there were no major oil spills anywhere in the world. Enbridge is offering approximately $380 million to the First Nations communities that are situated on land which the pipeline goes through. This amount is to be paid out over the years of operation of the pipeline.
Overall, it is necessary to establish the necessary infrastructure today in order to benefit as much as possible in future opportunities. The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline will benefit communities and families in both provinces of its operation with billions in spending over the next few decades. Canada will experience significant economic growth and prosperity from this project, with thousands of new jobs and training opportunities that will help Canadians in future endeavors long after work on the pipeline is complete.
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