Environmental organizations, including Ecojustice, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Alberta Wilderness Association, No to CO2 Landowner’s Group, Environmental Defence, and the Climate Action Network, have filed a request with the Alberta Energy Regulator for a full-scale environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed carbon capture and storage project by the Pathways Alliance. The Pathways Alliance, representing Canada’s six largest oilsands producers, is proposing a $16.5-billion carbon capture network to capture CO2 emissions from over 20 oilsands facilities in northern Alberta and transport them via a 400-kilometer pipeline to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake, Alta. However, the environmental organizations argue that the project’s size and scale demand a comprehensive EIA rather than the current phased evaluation process. The groups have raised concerns about water consumption, pollution, and safety associated with the proposed project.
The request for a full-scale EIA highlights the need for thorough environmental scrutiny of large-scale energy projects, especially those involving carbon capture and storage. The EIA process provides a framework for evaluating the potential environmental impacts, allowing stakeholders to weigh the risks and benefits before project approval.
