RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:The American Shale Patch Is All About Depletion Now Fact: 4 major Pipelines Were Built in Canada between 2006 and 2015.
- Enbridge Alberta Clipper – 1607km. Applied 2007, approved 2008, built in 2010 and transports 450,000 barrels per day.
2. Trans Canada Keystone. 1247km (in Canada). Applied 2006, approved 2007, built 2010, and transports 435,000 barrels
3. Enbridge Line 9B Reversal. 639km (affected) Applied 2012, approved 2014, operational in 2015, and transports 300,000 barrels per day.
4. Kinder Morgan Anchor Loop. 160km. Approved in 2006, Built 2008, and transports 40,000 barrels per day.
It is noteworthy that between the years of 2006-2011 Prime Minister Harper had two minority governments, which hampered the ability of the government of the day to change the laws and regulations that would streamline the large project application process.
After forming a majority government in 2011, former Finance Minister, the late Jim Flaherty, tabled Bill C-38, the Jobs, Growth and Prosperity Act, which among other things, created a predictable, thorough and streamlined approach to issuing certificates for major pipelines. It did not remove environmental regulations but instead, established time limits for regulatory reviews and created a predictable timeline for energy companies who wanted to invest in Canada.
For the next three years of the Conservative majority mandate, and based on signals of support for the industry, Alberta jobs flourished, and we had near full-employment numbers through most of Prime Minister Harper’s tenure as Prime Minister.
In 2015 the Trudeau Liberals inherited billions of dollars in energy projects that were either fully approved or progressing well towards approval. Unfortunately, many of these projects were either killed by the Prime Minister directly or made unviable by the Liberal’s disastrous anti-energy policies and Bills like C-48 (Tanker Ban) and C-69 (No More Pipelines) that created economic uncertainty that caused investments to flee our country, along with good paying jobs:
Energy East – applied in August 2013, cancelled by then TransCanada in 2017, citing “existing and likely future delays resulting from the regulatory process, (more like heaping on red tape and environmental requirements that even imported oil doesn’t have to comply with) the associated cost implications and the increasingly challenging issues and obstacles.” Project Value – $
Northern Gateway – applied in May 2010, approved by the Conservative Government in June 2014. Despite support from industry and indigenous communities, Justin Trudeau made good on an election promise and cancels this pipeline in November 2016. Project value – $7B
Keystone XL – applied in June 2005, Canadian portion approved by the Conservative Government in 2007. The US portion of the project was rejected by President Obama in 2015, re-approved by President Trump in 2017 (which was reaffirmed in 2019)[RS(B-M1] and most recently cancelled by President Biden in January 2021. Despite billions of dollars invested by the province of Alberta on this project, Trudeau only indicated his disappointment in the decision. Project Value – $8B
Trans Mountain Pipeline – applied in 2013, this project was a privately funded venture with the support of no less than 12 energy companies. By 2018, after changing the rules for this project almost daily, the Liberal government was forced to purchase the old pipeline from Kinder Morgan at a cost of $4.5B, and is now on the hook for new construction with a Project Value – $12.5B (a $5.2B increase since 2013)