Inuvik (Nov 05/04) - At last week's Mackenzie Gas Project information meeting held at Ingamo Hall, some questions from a community member highlighted not only the general public's concerns about the mega-project, but also the lack of knowledge about the project itself.

"Is the same company that was responsible for the oil spill in Alaska involved in the pipeline project?" asked one person, referring to the tanker Exxon Valdez that released 11 billion gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in 1989.

The questioner then went on the ask if an accident of that magnitude could happen on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

As Exxon Mobile is one of the proponents of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, concerns about its environmental track record are certainly valid. However, questions about oil spills illustrate, perhaps, how little people actually know about the potential natural gas project.

Enter Suzan Marie, manager of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG) communications team. As the APG is one of the pipeline proponents, part of her job is to sell the project to the communities she visits.

Another responsibility is to explain the nature of the project and to clear up any misinformation that's already out there.

"There are a lot of misconceptions (about the pipeline) and some don't know how to look at the APG as a business deal separate from access and benefits," Marie said. "The APG is an aboriginal business deal negotiated by aboriginals to benefit aboriginals."

Marie says that being a one-third owner of the pipeline will place aboriginal interests front and centre in the decision-making process.

As for the confusion over whether the pipeline is meant to ferry oil or natural gas south, Marie says questions of this nature are not uncommon.

To set the record straight, the project proposes two pipelines: one 30-inch natural gas pipe to be built from the Mackenzie Delta to Alberta and another 10-inch pipe for liquid gas that will hook into an existing pipe at Norman Wells.

Route of way

For the last two years, Morris O'Bryan, senior pipeline engineer for ColtKBR -- contracted to the Mackenzie Gas Project -- has been working to establish a route for the proposed pipeline.

O'Bryan, who was also at the Ingamo Hall meeting, says people have been consulted throughout the conceptual and preliminary engineering processes and various concerns have brought about alterations in the pipeline's continually evolving right-of-way.

"We wanted to avoid lakes and cross rivers and streams at shallow locations where possible to minimize the environmental impact," he said.

He said that for the line's stability "the route minimizes straddling side hills."

O'Bryan says concerns particular to this region included the pipeline's proximity to Travaillant Lake -- a traditional hunting and fishing area southeast of Inuvik. In updated plans, the route has been moved back several kilometres from the lake where it had previously been slated to run directly around Travaillant's east shore.