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To Ottawa and back Roland pitches idea
for western Canada pipelineT. Shawn Giilck Northern News Services Published Thursday, February 14, 2013
Roland attended meetings with a large number of other NWT officials. He didn't participate in any of the formal discussions on devolution, choosing instead to network and meet with various federal officials. That included Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan. "I wanted to meet with the minister and do some networking with the large contingent of officials from the NWT," Roland said. One of the pressing topics of conversation was the need for alternative energy sources in the Inuvik area. Roland says he is not happy with the new synthetic natural gas system the town has adopted as its primary source of energy due to the ongoing problems with the Ikhil natural gas well and field. Frustrated by limitations Frustration over that issue is exacerbated by the fact the Inuvik region has abundant natural gas resources that can't be viably tapped due to a lack of investors. Kevin McKay, the general manager of Inuvik Gas, reiterated on Feb. 8 that it's the size of the Inuvik market and the other small centres in the Mackenzie Delta region that prevent the full-scale development of the resource. When the soft market and prices of natural gas are factored in, McKay said the combination is the proverbial "double-whammy" for drilling a new well and building a pipeline. Roland said he appreciates that argument, but he's cast his eye on a much grander scenario. With the Mackenzie Delta practically swimming in natural gas resources, his vision is to bypass the small economy-of-scale argument completely and begin building a system that could service parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. His reasoning is that those regions represent the market needed to make developing the natural gas resources locally not only feasible but almost a necessity. While he didn't return from Ottawa with any promises of new money, Roland said he believes the chance to pitch such ambitious ideas may accomplish something in the future.
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