TransCanada is announcing that it has ended its Energy East Pipeline proposal that would have seen bitumen transported through existing natural gas pipelines.
Locally, the pipeline runs along Trout Lake, within the municipal boundaries of North Bay, and faced opposition from community groups.
The corporation’s president and CEO, Russ Girling has released a statement announcing the company’s decision not to proceed with both Energy East and Eastern Mainline projects:
“We appreciate and are thankful for the support of labour, business and manufacturing organizations, industry, our customers, Irving Oil, various governments, and the approximately 200 municipalities who passed resolutions in favour of the projects. Most of all, we thank Canadians across the country who contributed towards the development of these initiatives.”
Patrick DeRochie of Environmental Defence says in response, “Today brings good news for communities, First Nations, and Canadians along the pipeline route who took a stand against Energy East. The pipeline failed to respect Indigenous rights and title and would have put the drinking water of millions of Canadians at risk of an oil spill.”
The Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources says in a statement that the decision to pull out was business-related. Carr adds that the government took into consideration “the views of Canadians and enhanced consultations with Indigenous peoples.”
