August 23, 2017 – The Globe and Mail
NEB to assess climate issues in Energy East pipeline review
By Shawn McCarthy
The National Energy Board will assess how Canada’s climate-change policies will affect crude production as it reviews whether to recommend approval for TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline, the regulator said Wednesday.
In a statement, the NEB broadened the normal scope it uses to determine whether the controversial pipeline proposal would be in the public interest. The TransCanada proposal has generated regional tensions, as mayors and other politicians in Quebec voice opposition to a project that Alberta and Saskatchewan see as an important economic lifeline for their struggling oil industries.
Read the full article here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/energy-east-pipeline-review-topics-to-include-impact-of-emissions/article36069855/
Some analysts are questioning the need for Energy East, particularly if one or two pipeline projects now being started actually get completed. With global crude prices stuck at around $50 (U.S.) a barrel, production growth in Western Canada is slowing down and will level off after 2020, when several expansions currently under way are completed.
In a podcast published this week by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, Houston-based analyst Rusty Braziel said Canada likely needs just one new pipeline project to handle the increased volumes expected over the foreseeable future – unless prices rebound to $70 (U.S.) a barrel.
