Canada's Regulations for Natural Gas Pipeline Construction
Natural gas is a fossil fuel, also known as a hydrocarbon. It is created over millions of years from plant and animal matter buried deep beneath layers of rock and soil. Like oil, raw natural gas must be processed at a refinery. Once it no longer contains impurities or byproducts, the resultant liquid natural gas, or LNG, is shipped out, often via a pipeline that runs thousands of miles. Canada has regulations that mandate how Canadian LNG pipes are constructed.
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National Energy Board
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Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) oversees and regulates the construction of all natural gas and oil pipelines traveling across Canadian territory; pipelines must be longer than 40 kilometers, or approximately 24 miles. This includes "inter-province" pipelines, which travel through more than one Canadian province, and "international" pipelines which continue outside of Canada, according to the NEB. The NEB also monitors pipeline system additions or branch lines. Any pipeline that is bordered within a single province is monitored by that province.
Application Process
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The regulatory process for constructing an LNG pipeline begins by submitting applications to the Canadian federal government through the National Energy Board. Applications must also be submitted to all Canadian territories the pipeline passes through, as well as provinces and individual towns. Land use and water use applications must also be submitted. One such LNG pipeline is being built through the Mackenzie Valley in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Its construction is closely regulated by both central and local Canadian governments and agencies, including the NEB, according to The Mackenzie Project.
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Environmental Impact Study
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The NEB studies the proposed pipeline for technical, economic, socio-economic environmental aspects before construction can begin. The construction is then evaluated for possible "environmental impact" and "public impact" problems---such as the effect of crossing designated tribal lands or the path of migratory herds. The Canadian government then refers the proposed construction to a "Joint Review Panel" which also studies it, according to The Mackenzie Project.
Safety Regulations
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The NEB also oversees and regulates safety in the initial design and ongoing construction of an LNG pipeline, as well as the pipeline's eventual operation. It is even responsible for regulating pipelines that are shut down. The NEB is also responsible for making sure pipeline workers have safe working conditions and that communities are kept safe from pipeline rupture or other types of damage that might trigger an explosion, according to the NEB.
Security Regulations
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In terms of security, the NEB received a mandate to regulate security regarding pipeline construction and maintenance in April 2005---the National Energy Board Act. This mandate gives the NEB the authority to establish and maintain security management programs that will identify and regulate security risks and threats to pipeline construction, according to the NEB.
Other Regulatory Agencies
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Besides the NEB, additional regulatory agencies in Canada that oversee pipeline construction can include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Environment Canada and the Environmental Impact Screening Committee, according to The Mackenzie Gas Project. The process of planning and constructing any pipeline through Canada may well involve obtaining over 4,000 permits, licenses, authorizations and agreements, according to The Mackenzie Project.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit gas pipeline image by Victor M. from Fotolia.com
