Oil producers want to see pipeline moving

Stephan Burnett
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 20/04) - It's not just the Deh Cho who are shooting themselves in the foot over the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, it's also the federal and territorial governments.

That's what Brian Maynard, vice-president, stewardship and public affairs with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), said after a speech at the Prospects North Conference in Yellowknife last week.

"People are prepared to invest $5 billion. It's a once in a lifetime offer. Let's be reasonable and get on with it. No one is benefiting at all today," he said.

Maynard said part of the problem is that the Deh Cho don't understand the issues, the federal government doesn't know the North and the territorial government doesn't understand the industry.

The federal government needs to better address the development of the petroleum industry in the North, he said.

"In doing so, they would make this part of the country better off and in doing so make the country overall better off. The market is calling for supply today," he said.

Maynard said another problem the North is facing is an overly regulated environment.

That's the reason why there are record activity levels in Alberta and not in the Northwest Territories, he said.

Oil and gas companies are far more advanced now than they were 20 years ago in recognizing environmental issues and becoming a part of their communities, Maynard said.

Maynard said the policy debates surrounding the development of the oil and gas industry should take place with politicians and not regulators.

"What we want are reasonable standards intended to address legitimate concerns, to protect the environment and people," he said.

The real benefit for the development of the gas industry in the Northwest Territories is jobs and wealth creation, he said.