Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau gives go-ahead to two oil pipeline projects

Pipeline in Alberta, Canada. (credit: jasonwoodhead23)

In the US, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline meant to carry oil from Alberta, Canada’s oil sands to refineries in Illinois and on the Gulf Coast ultimately died due to stiff opposition. That wasn’t the only route Alberta’s oil industry is pursuing to get its oil to market, though. On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced decisions on three major pending pipeline projects. One was rejected, but two received a thumbs-up.

The especially controversial Northern Gateway pipeline would have carried oil from Edmonton, Alberta, to a port in Kitimat, British Columbia. Trudeau said this new pipeline would not be approved, citing environmental concerns for the newly protected Great Bear Rainforest that covers islands along the coast that would see greatly increased oil tanker traffic.

But a major proposal to expand the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to a port near Vancouver will proceed. A second pipeline will be built to parallel the existing one, boosting the capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day. That will, at least, replace the volume currently being transported to the coast by rail as it heads to markets in Asia.