Alberta Energy Regulator won’t need EIA for Pathways Alliance project

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Alberta’s power regulator mentioned it is not going to require an environmental influence evaluation (EIA) of an enormous $16.5-billion carbon seize and storage mission proposed for the oilsands.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and legal professionals with Ecojustice in Could requested for an evaluation of the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon seize storage hub, linking greater than 20 oilsands services to an underground sequestration area within the Chilly Lake area of Alberta by way of a 400-kilometre pipeline.

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The Alberta Power Regulator (AER) on Thursday mentioned it is not going to require the Pathways Alliance to submit an EIA report, however a spokesperson mentioned the regulator might revise its choice if new data turns into accessible.

An EIA will not be obligatory for this sort of mission below Alberta’s Environmental Safety and Enhancement Act (EPEA), although the AER has the discretion to resolve whether or not additional evaluation or an EIA report is required primarily based on a variety of concerns, together with public considerations.

The AER mentioned the environmental influence of the mission can nonetheless be evaluated by way of the applying course of for the assorted elements — the pipelines, carbon seize services and storage properly — below the province’s oil and fuel regulatory framework.

Any functions might be publicly accessible on the AER’s web site and “stakeholders who assume they is perhaps instantly or adversely impacted by the proposed mission” can submit their considerations, the regulator mentioned in an e mail.

However critics of the choice name it a “piecemeal method” to evaluating environmental considerations, one that stops the AER from assessing the cumulative impacts of the megaproject.

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The ACFN, Ecojustice and different environmental teams have mentioned they’re involved concerning the potential threat of leaks and ruptures from carbon dioxide pipelines, and the potential for CO2 injected underground to infect groundwater.

“There’s a motive the AER doesn’t need to put the Pathways mission by way of an environmental evaluation,” ACFN chief Allen Adam mentioned in a press release on Thursday. “It’s as a result of it would expose the environmental impacts, the poor financial viability and the dangers to human well being. With our treaty rights on the road, you’ll be able to assure that ACFN will struggle this tooth and nail.”

ACFN and 4 different environmental teams additionally known as on the federal authorities to step in to evaluate the dangers of the Pathways Alliance’s mission.

The Pathways Alliance represents a consortium of oilsands producers —together with  Canadian Pure Assets Ltd., Suncor Power Inc., Cenovus Power Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., Meg Power Corp. and ConocoPhillips Canada — that hope to safe authorities assist to construct the community with the intention to minimize greenhouse fuel emissions within the sector.

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The group’s president, Kendall Dilling, mentioned Canadian Pure Assets has been submitting functions on behalf of the Pathways Alliance to fulfill provincial regulatory necessities, which embrace vital environmental oversight.

“Sturdy engagement is ongoing with native communities, Indigenous teams and landowners, in addition to a session course of with Indigenous teams in accordance with Aboriginal Session Workplace necessities,” he mentioned in a press release.

“Environmental area research are ongoing and we’re supporting Indigenous teams in finishing conventional land use research. Research are supported by tons of of heritage useful resource assessments, wetland classifications, soil assessments, aquatic habitat evaluations, and different environmental actions.”

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