Teck’s proposed Frontier mine would produce 260,000 barrels of oil a day
In Ottawa today to meet with the prime minister, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Justin Trudeau’s government faces a stark choice: either approve Teck Resources’ massive planned oilsands project or risk leaving the country’s oil industry “with no way forward.”
Teck’s project, the Frontier Mine, is a 292-square-kilometre open-pit petroleum-mining operation in the northern reaches of Alberta. It’s projected to produce some 260,000 barrels of oil a day — if it gets the necessary approvals from the federal Liberal government.
Kenney said the project, first proposed in 2011, would be a boon for Alberta’s economy as the mine would create 7,000 jobs during construction and require up to 2,500 workers during operation.
The prospect of a new mine project is being welcomed by an industry being buffeted by low commodity prices and regulatory challenges.
“If this project does not proceed, it would be a clear indication that there is no way forward for this country’s largest natural resource,” Kenney said during a speech in Ottawa.
The mine is to be built roughly 120 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. Kenney said the project has secured the approval of Indigenous leaders in the area around the mine, including Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (a past opponent of oilsands development) and Metis Nation communities. Teck has signed support agreements with all 14 local Indigenous communities.
Kenney is expected to press Prime Minister Trudeau to issue the necessary approvals during a meeting between the two leaders later today.
The federal cabinet has until the end of February to make a decision.
Beyond the Frontier project, Kenney is asking Ottawa for major amendments to Bill C-69 — the environmental assessment overhaul — a new formula for the fiscal stabilization program, changes to flow-through shares to spur capital investment and federal recognition of provincial methane regulations.
full story at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/kenney-approve-frontier-project-or-else-1.5390795