“I was flying into Calgary on a routing that took us over Cochrane, Alberta,” says Joe Ballantyne, the Senior Environmental Manager for Whitehorse-based Access Consulting Group. “The pre-build section of the Alaska Highway pipeline project goes right down past Cochrane and across the Bow River. Honestly, if you didn’t know that a pipeline crossed the Bow River at Cochrane, you wouldn’t think anything was there.” In the early 1980s, Ballantyne assisted with regulatory work related to the route by which Foothills Pipelines—now 100 percent owned by TransCanada PipeLines—proposed to transport Alaskan natural gas to southern markets. Aside from the Alberta sections, no pipe was ever built. But now that the project is back on the front burner, Ballantyne’s observation underscores an important reality. The proposed Alaska Highway pipeline could give Yukon and other North American consumers access to a clean burning, affordable fuel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term, and at the same time mitigate the less appealing environmental impacts. “I think there are probably misconceptions out there,” he concedes, “starting with where this pipeline is proposed to go.” As the name suggests, the pipeline would follow the Alaska Highway—an established transportation corridor—for 760 kilometres through the Yukon, with just a couple minor deviations to avoid difficult terrain. The majority of the route through Alaska will also parallel a highway. As a result, untouched wilderness would remain untouched, limiting the project’s cumulative environmental effects. As well, images of the oil-laden Trans Alaska pipeline snaking over the tundra may be misleading. In fact, the Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline would be safely and discreetly buried beneath the land’s surface—even in permafrost areas. During the construction, the use of “best practices” would minimize impacts on sensitive terrain and wildlife populations. For example, some activities will be limited to winter months when the ground is frozen and can support heavy equipment without damaging the underlying surface. After the pipe is in place and the ditch is backfilled, the right-of-way would be “reclaimed” using other best practices—techniques such as biostabilization, which relies on live plant material rather than engineered structures to maintain the integrity of slopes. A recent protocol adopted by TransCanada and the Kaska Tribal Council demonstrates that pipeline construction would also incorporate and protect the Traditional Knowledge of First Nations along the route. It’s also reassuring that most of the infrastructure required to feed the pipeline—wells, flow lines and a huge gas compression facility—is already in place on Alaska’s North Slope.

Natural gas has actually been produced along with crude oil at Prudhoe Bay since 1977, but the bulk of the volume is re-injected into the reservoir for pressure maintenance. “Cost-savings continue to be a major driver and people are always looking for the benefits,” he said. Regulatory concerns, he acknowledged, are another crucial factor. Currently, regulatory hearings are underway in the Northwest Territories for the 1,200-kilometre Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP). National Energy Board hearings are dealing with technical matters, while the Joint Review Panel hearings will determine how the project could affect the land, environment and lives of people in the project area. The Yukon government has been involved in the MGP hearings to ensure the interests of Yukon - the people, the communities and the environment - are taken into consideration. Yukon’s Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang says it is imperative that Yukon’s concerns are heard and addressed in these hearings. “We want to maximize benefits from northern pipelines and ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to minimize adverse effects,” he said. “This project has the potential for significant employment, business opportunities, and future economic development in the Yukon. It is essential to developing North Yukon’s gas resources.” Yukon is also part of a federal-led working group tasked with clarifying the Canadian regulatory process for the proposed Alaska Highway pipeline. “More than likely, the Alaska Highway pipeline will also undergo a Joint Review Panel process involving the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act,” says Ron Sumanik, Manager, Benefits and Socio-Economic Affairs for the Yukon government Oil and Gas Business Development and Pipeline Branch. Under this process, Yukon First Nations and other governments will be guaranteed participation in hearings to examine the project’s socio-economic and environmental impacts. Yukon residents and groups will also have an important voice in the process designed to safeguard their interests. At the same time, the Yukon government and First Nation governments will be in a position to negotiate socio-economic benefit agreements with the pipeline proponent, ensuring that Yukon people enjoy training, employment, and business opportunities. Ideally, these efforts will receive the same substantial federal financial support that the Northwest Territories has negotiated to deal with the socio-economic impacts of the MGP. “We expect to face similar issues when the Alaska Highway Pipeline project gets underway,” said Lang. “It is imperative that our concerns are heard and addressed in the hearings, and we look forward to working with Canada to address these issues.”