On Thursday, April 2, TransCanada Corporation announced it had cancelled plans to build an export terminal in Cacouna, Que., as part of the Alberta-based company’s Energy East oil pipeline proposal. The company nixed the terminal due to a nearby nursing ground for the endangered Beluga whale.
The Conservation Council issued a statement saying TransCanada had a responsibility to withdraw its pipeline application from the National Energy Board process – which is already underway – given the significant changes that have been made since it was originally filed.
CBC New Brunswick picked up the Conservation Council’s call, reporting: “The Conservation Council of New Brunswick says with the changes to the Quebec section of the project, TransCanada has a “moral responsibility” to withdraw its National Energy Board application entirely. The council says TransCanada clearly hasn’t thought the project through, “throwing a dart at a map” to choose its Quebec export terminal location.”
Speaking to Global News New Brunswick, Executive Director Lois Corbett said more consideration is needed for how the Energy East pipeline would impact the endangered Atlantic Right whale, one of the top 10 endangered whales on the planet. She said the negative effect of increased tanker traffic on whales in the Bay of Fundy would only be more significant if the Saint John site becomes the line export terminal for the project. Watch the full story here.