Feds approve Joslyn (and Joe Oliver calls for regulatory reform)
Natural Resources minister isn't pleased the review of Total project took six years
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver was a busy boy today. Not only did he announce that (surprise!) the federal government has given its blessing to Total SA’s Joslyn oil sands project, but he also found the time to appoint a new member to the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board, as well as name Sheila Leggett as the new deputy administrator of the Northern Pipeline Agency. (Raise your hand if you weren’t aware we had a Northern Pipeline Agency.)
There was never any question the feds would approve the project, as Oliver has become a most enthusiastic oil sands champion. But he did make a point on this happy – or unhappy, depending on your feelings about the oil sands – occasion to note that it took six years for the project to work its way through a regulatory review. And he wasn’t happy about it, remarking in a press release that:
“It is crystal clear that we need to put an end to unreasonable delays — delays that can jeopardize the viability of projects like Joslyn and harm our reputation as an attractive place to do business. In particular, definitive timelines from the beginning to the end of the regulatory process are needed to improve the timeliness and predictability of the regulatory environment, and support investment and planning decisions.”
Industry never seems satisfied with the regulatory processes their projects must go through. Too long and too much duplication are the common complaints I hear. But as Oliver stressed on Thursday that a “a more efficient and effective regulatory system” is a priority for the Conservative government, I hope there is some heavy analysis done on whether or not more time spent reviewing huge energy projects results in a better or worse project. I’m all for efficiency and effectiveness. But when I hear governments throw out those words, I start to worry about due diligence issues.
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Its pretty obvious that the federal Conservatives have no interest in due diligence; that requires integrity, which they lack.
Hi Holly:
I don’t disagree with Oliver’s concerns about the regulatory process taking too long for these projects. Maybe six years is an outrageous time frame. But I do hope in the search for “efficiency” and “effectiveness”, Oliver and the Conservatives don’t have a pre-determined view of how this will turn out. My gut says that hope is misguided.