Trudeau Responds to Energy East Cancellation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to TransCanada’s decision to cancel the Energy East pipeline.  In a Facebook post dated October 7, he warned against allowing it to split the country.  The initial decision was announced late last week.

“Debate is one thing. Stoking national divisions, using a private corporation’s business move as a pretext is another,” he said.  Reaction to the decision has been negative from the western Premiers.

Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall blames a change in regulations. “They have been at best ambivalent about the project, and then moved the goalposts at the last moment by asking the regulator to consider the impact of upstream greenhouse gas emissions,”Wall said in a statement.  Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said her government was “deeply disappointed by the recent decision from TransCanada,” she said.

The Energy East project would have carried 1 million barrels of oil per day from Alberta to Irving refineries in New Brunswick.  New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant was disappointed in the decision as well.  “TransCanada deciding not to proceed with its application is not good news for those who wanted to see the Energy East pipeline built,” Gallant said.  Gallant had lobbied his colleagues at a First Ministers’ meeting in early October.

The 4500 km pipeline was projected to create an estimated 14,000 direct, and indirect jobs.