Eight First Nations in Alberta are asking that the massive carbon capture and storage project proposed by a consortium of oilsands companies be reviewed under the federal Impact Assessment Act.
The First Nations say the project proposed by the Pathways Alliance is large and unprecedented and poses potential risks to both the environment and human health.
The Pathways Alliance group of oilsands companies is proposing to build a $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage network to trap emissions from more than 20 oilsands facilities and transport them 400 kilometres by pipeline to an underground storage hub in the Cold Lake, Alta., area.
The oilsands group — whose membership consists of Suncor Energy Inc., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., MEG Energy Corp. and ConocoPhillips Canada — says the project would be one of the largest carbon capture and storage projects in the world.
Pathways has already begun submitting applications for approval to the Alberta Energy Regulator, which has regulatory jurisdiction since the project’s boundaries lie entirely within the province of Alberta.
But the First Nations say the project’s potential impact on reserve land and Indigenous territory means it should be subject to federal review instead.
The federal Impact Assessment Act is used to determine whether certain major resource projects should go ahead, based on their expected environmental, social and economic effects.
The Alberta government is currently battling the federal government in court over the Impact Assessment Act’s constitutionality.
In a recent statement to CBC, officials with the AER confirmed that it isn’t requiring the project to undergo an environmental impact assessment.
The decision was based on the current information about the project, and the AER reserves the right to review the decision should different or new information about the project’s potential impacts becomes available, the regulator said.