Grizzly bear, caribou likely threatened by Northern Gateway
The federal cabinet says the Northern Gateway pipeline “is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” to populations of two iconic, at-risk Canadian species — the woodland caribou and grizzly bear — but says the impacts are “justified in the circumstances.”
The Conservative government identified the potential threats to the woodland caribou and grizzly bear populations in Tuesday’s cabinet order that approved the Enbridge Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline, subject to the National Energy Board joint review panel’s 209 conditions for the project.
The woodland caribou is listed as “threatened” under the federal government’s species-at-risk registry, and the grizzly bear is listed as one of “special concern” by a panel of wildlife experts that advises the government.
“Taking into account the implementation of mitigation measures that (cabinet) considers appropriate, the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects ... for certain populations of woodland caribou and grizzly bear,” says the cabinet order.
However, the government decided “the significant adverse environmental effects (for the woodland caribou and grizzly bear) are justified in the circumstances.”
Those “circumstances” that justify conditionally allowing a project that would seriously impact woodland caribou and grizzly bear populations are seemingly also explained in the cabinet order — the economic benefits.
“The project would diversify Canada’s energy export markets and would contribute to Canada’s longterm economic prosperity,” it says.
But while acknowledging environmental concerns for some wildlife, the government also determined that the pipeline is “not likely” to cause significant adverse effects to the environment in general.
Paul Jorgenson with Nature Canada, which represents a network of 350 nature organizations across Canada, said the federal government has “a moral responsibility” under the Species at Risk Act to protect Canada’s most vulnerable creatures.
“The caribou and the grizzly bear aren’t just at-risk species, they’re also iconic Canadian animals and they shouldn’t be treated as mere nuisances or obstacles that must be overcome,” Jorgenson said.
The $6.5-billion pipeline would carry up to 525,000 barrels of crude a day from northern Alberta to Kitimat, B.C., where the oilsands product would be loaded onto supertankers and shipped to Asian markets.