‘It’s an important project’: Federal ministers weigh in on Teck Frontier mine
Posted Feb 5, 2020 9:34 am.
Last Updated Feb 5, 2020 12:22 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – It’s a $20-billion project that Premier Jason Kenney says is crucial for Alberta’s and Canada’s economy.
However, it would also produce a lot of greenhouse gas emissions.
The federal government is set to make a decision by the end of the month on the Teck Frontier oilsands mine in northern Alberta.
Federal Resource Minister Seamus O’Regan says a process is already in place.
“We’re going to be working with the entire oil and gas sector in Alberta and out my way in Newfoundland. We’re a country built on energy. We’re the fourth-biggest oil and gas producer in the world so for a country like ours to achieve net-zero, we have to work together, we have to work with our partners.”
WATCH: Duelling protestors meet in Calgary over proposed mine
O’Regan added the government is still committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, and they need to work with all provinces and industry to meet that goal.
The government’s representative to the prairies Jim Carr said the Teck mine is important but it needs to be done right.
“It’s an important project. We’re spending a lot of time talking to people and listening to people and looking at the very important balance between environmental stewardship and Indigenous partnerships and economic growth.”
The Teck Frontier Mine which would be built between Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan would produce 260,000 barrels of bitumen per day and employ up to 7,000 workers.
The company says it has set a target for the mine to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
