Northern Gateway important opportunity for Canada

ACEC-Canada applauds decision of Joint Review Panel

OTTAWA, Dec. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada (ACEC) today applauds the work of the Joint Review Panel (JRP) and its finding that the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline fits squarely within Canada's national interest. After an exhaustive consultation and review process, the JRP's finding now paves the way for a federal approval of what will be an important and beneficial piece of infrastructure for Canada's economy.

"Northern Gateway is important to Canada's long-term prosperity," said John Gamble, ACEC President noting that economic and environmental objectives need not be mutually exclusive. "We need responsible resource extraction that offers economic opportunities while respecting environmental protection and social responsibility. We need Gateway and we need to do it right and we need to do it well. We believe that Canada has the skills and expertise to achieve a balance between our economic and environmental interests."

The Joint Review Panel stated that environmental burdens associated with project construction and routine operation can generally be effectively mitigated and that continued monitoring, scientific research and adaptive management could further reduce adverse effects. Further to this, the design, construction and ongoing operations and maintenance associated by this project will be expected to meet or exceed 209 conditions proposed by the Panel.

"Oil and gas will continue to be part of the Canadian economy for some time and we need to get our oil and gas resources to market," continued Gamble. "We need to diversify energy exports away from the United States and towards more rapidly growing economies. Gateway can accomplish just that. ACEC and its member companies applaud the Panel's work and report, and urge the federal government to proceed with approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline."

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada represents companies in Canada that provide professional engineering services to both public and private-sector clients. These services include the planning, design and execution of all types of engineering projects, as well as providing independent advice and expertise in a wide range of engineering and engineering-related fields. For more information about ACEC, please visit www.acec.ca

SOURCE: Association of Consulting Engineering Companies

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