SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The fact only 10 out of the 115 recommendations made to the federal and territorial governments were accepted suggests the panel doing the environmental review lacked the experience to effectively deliver its report on the $16.2 billion Mackenzie Gas Project, say representatives of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG).

Bob Reid, president of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG), left, and O.D. Hansen, manager of communications for the APG, said many of the Joint Review Panel's recommendations to the GNWT and federal government fell outside the scope of the panel's mandate. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

Last week, the Government of the NWT and the federal government released their interim response to the Joint Review Panel (JRP) report, which came four years late and at a cost of $18.7 million, $12.4 million over budget.

Completed in December, the report outlined potential environmental and socio-economic effects of the pipeline and included a total of 176 recommendations addressed to both governments as well as the project proponents.

In the introduction to its report, the JRP stated that its full support of the pipeline - which the panel generally favoured - would hinge on the implementation of all recommendations.

Out of the 115 recommendations, the GNWT and federal government only accepted 10. While the parties accepted the intent of another 77 recommendations, they stated they could not accept those recommendations as written.

The parties rejected the remaining 28 recommendations, which included a request that the National Energy Board (NEB) establish an office in the NWT.

The parties said the majority of the rejected recommendations fell outside the scope of the JRP's mandate, noting that many of the recommendations would require a significant investment, especially from the federal government.

"In my opinion, the JRP was a brand new board brought together," said Bob Reid, president of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, which stands to distribute one-third of the pipeline's earnings among aboriginal groups with territory along the path of the pipeline.

"They didn't have the proper experience necessary to undertake their task. They got the job done, but perhaps some of the recommendations they made weren't appropriate."

While equally critical of the JRP, O.D. Hansen, manager of communications for the APG, said the process was still necessary.

"I think it was a process that had to happen," said Hansen.

"I think that Northerners had to partake in the regulatory process. And while it might have gone on a lot longer than we'd hoped, I think there had to be input from the different areas."

The JRP - a quasi-judicial, federally appointed panel consisting of a chair and six members - is not commenting on the interim response or the reactions it has sparked, said Brian Chambers, executive director for the Northern Gas Project Secretariat, which handles communications for the panel.

With the interim response now complete, the GNWT and the federal government will now consult aboriginal groups, as well as the JRP itself, before issuing their final response to the NEB, which will take the JRP report into account before rendering its final decision on the pipeline in September.

"We're hoping to have it done in time to hit the NEB timeline," said NWT Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger of the final response.

While declining to comment on whether he thought the JRP's guidelines were clear enough, Miltenberger said the GNWT will conduct a review of the panel once the regulatory process wraps up.

"I would suggest, based on the long history here, that probably in (our) lifetime in the Northwest Territories you won't see another JRP process," said Miltenberger.