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

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Alberta’s energy regulator said it will not require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of a massive $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage project proposed for the oilsands.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and lawyers with Ecojustice in May asked for an assessment of the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon capture storage hub, linking more than 20 oilsands facilities to an underground sequestration space in the Cold Lake region of Alberta through a 400-kilometre pipeline.

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The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) on Thursday said it will not require the Pathways Alliance to submit an EIA report, but a spokesperson said the regulator could revise its decision if new information becomes available.

An EIA is not mandatory for this type of project under Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA), though the AER has the discretion to decide whether further assessment or an EIA report is required based on a number of considerations, including public concerns.

The AER said the environmental impact of the project can still be evaluated through the application process for the various components — the pipelines, carbon capture facilities and storage well — under the province’s oil and gas regulatory framework.

Any applications will be publicly available on the AER’s website and “stakeholders who think they might be directly or adversely impacted by the proposed project” can submit their concerns, the regulator said in an email.

But critics of the decision call it a “piecemeal approach” to evaluating environmental concerns, one that prevents the AER from assessing the cumulative impacts of the megaproject.

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The ACFN, Ecojustice and other environmental groups have said they are concerned about the potential risk of leaks and ruptures from carbon dioxide pipelines, and the potential for CO2 injected underground to contaminate groundwater.

“There’s a reason the AER doesn’t want to put the Pathways project through an environmental assessment,” ACFN chief Allen Adam said in a statement on Thursday. “It is because it will expose the environmental impacts, the poor economic viability and the risks to human health. With our treaty rights on the line, you can guarantee that ACFN will fight this tooth and nail.”

ACFN and four other environmental groups also called on the federal government to step in to assess the risks of the Pathways Alliance’s project.

The Pathways Alliance represents a consortium of oilsands producers —including  Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Suncor Energy Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., Meg Energy Corp. and ConocoPhillips Canada — that hope to secure government support to build the network in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the sector.

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The group’s president, Kendall Dilling, said Canadian Natural Resources has been submitting applications on behalf of the Pathways Alliance to satisfy provincial regulatory requirements, which include significant environmental oversight.

“Robust engagement is ongoing with local communities, Indigenous groups and landowners, as well as a consultation process with Indigenous groups in accordance with Aboriginal Consultation Office requirements,” he said in a statement.

“Environmental field studies are ongoing and we are supporting Indigenous groups in completing traditional land use studies. Studies are supported by hundreds of heritage resource assessments, wetland classifications, soil assessments, aquatic habitat evaluations, and other environmental activities.”

• Email: mpotkins@postmedia.com

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