The National Energy Board (NEB) has approved the Mackenzie Gas Project, with over 200 conditions. The Board finds that the project, with the conditions, is in the public interest.

Nature Canada was an intervener in the Environmental Assessment of the Mackenzie Gas Project because there was so much at stake. The Mackenzie River is Canada’s wildest big river flowing unfettered for 1,800 kilometres through globally important forests and tundra teeming with wildlife, and important breeding and staging areas for millions of geese, tundra swans and other migratory birds. This mega-project would trigger the transformation of the Mackenzie Valley from largely intact wilderness to a petro-industrial landscape.

Nature Canada will be studying the NEB decision in detail to assess whether or not the 200 conditions are sufficient to meet our concerns.

The NEB says it has accepted all of the Environmental Assessment Panel recommendations directed at the NEB (about 60 or so we think), as modified and agreed to by both Panel and NEB.

We remain deeply concerned that the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories have already rejected in practice many of the Panel recommendations in their final response on November 15.

• The Environmental Assessment Panel who studied the project extensively warned against approving the project without implementing all of its recommendations. The panel said: “In that event, the opportunity for the Project to provide a foundation for a sustainable northern future would be lost.”
• The governments of Canada and the Northwest territories accepted fewer than 10% of the Panel’s recommendations to government (11 of 115).
• Nature Canada advised the NEB that the project could not be in the public interest if it were unsustainable because of the governments’ refusal to commit to the Panel’s conditions.

The process behind this decision underscores the value that Environmental Assessment can add to making sensible decisions, if recommendations are followed.

• The Environmental Assessment and NEB processes were the only opportunity for public input into this monumental public policy decision.
• Both the Environmental Assessment Panel and the National Energy Board did a good job of providing an opportunity for public input. In contrast the Governments’ tried to make deals behind closed doors.
• The EA Panel also did a great job incorporating public input into its recommendations. We are now studying the NEB report to see whether the same can be said of the NEB.

Stay tuned for more analysis from Nature Canada as we comb through all the details in the NEB’S 50 megabyte report.