EDMONTON, AB: With the independent National Energy Board providing conditional approval for Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion, the federal Liberal government should stop creating further red tape and delays and sign off on this pivotal pipeline project, the Wildrose Official Opposition said today.
“Today’s findings show what Wildrose has always said, that the arms-length and scientific review process introduced by the former government remains the most effective and exhaustive in the western world,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said. “I want to thank the experts for all their efforts on this application, but there is still much work to be done for this pipeline to become a reality. We need the federal Liberal government, along with other provincial and municipal politicians, to stop delaying and undermining the confidence in this independent process and back these critical projects that will grow our economy.”
This week, the federal government announced an additional panel to review the current projects approved under the National Energy Board.
Wildrose Shadow Economic Development and Trade Minister Prasad Panda said it’s important that governments do not provide further obstacles that get in the way of constructing pipelines already approved by the National Energy Board, whether it’s the Trans Mountain expansion or the Northern Gateway pipeline.
“The National Energy Board review is exhaustive and relies on scientific evidence on the environment and the economy,” Panda said. “Politicians should stop trying to undermine its work by creating further obstacles to getting pipelines built in this country.”