Pipelines move a step closer to reality

At the end of January, both Enbridge and Keystone XL pipelines moved a step closer to construction. The National Energy Board is recommending the federal government approve the 182-kilometre Enbridge Inc. pipeline that would connect Edmonton to Hardisty, the starting point of U.S.-bound oil conduits such as Enbridge’s Alberta Clipper and TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone lines. The pipeline is to have an initial capacity of 570,000 barrels of oil per day. The United States State Department released an environmental assessment in favour of the Keystone XL pipeline. Premier Alison Redford said the US findings were “consistent with the analysis Alberta has put on the table in our various face-to-face meetings with key decision makers in Washington….”