'PROJECT IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST': Corey Hogan says Ottawa awaits Alberta's pipeline proposal

INNISFAIL — Liberal MP Corey Hogan says that Ottawa remains on track to receive the UCP government’s West Coast pipeline proposal on July 1, which he stated is viewed by the feds as being a project in the national interest.Hogan told the Western Standard on Thursday that Ottawa still had not seen any of the proposal and didn’t want to “pre-judge” it before the allotted date.“We haven't seen the proposal, so it’s impossible to say exactly what the specific path is going to be,” Hogan said.“But let's be clear about the value of a West Coast pipeline. We currently send 90% of our oil exports to the United States. That is something I think we're all looking at a little bit differently.”The parliamentary secretary to Energy Minister Tim Hodgson added that while the current geopolitical situation has made relations and trade deals such as CUSMA up in the air, it doesn't mean that Canada “can't [continue to] trade and trade robustly with our American friends and allies.”“I think that it is in Canadians' interest to diversify our exports, and that is something that the government has signalled, and that is exactly what the West Coast pipeline is going to do.”Hogan’s comments come as Alberta prepares to unveil details of a proposed pipeline project intended to increase access to overseas markets, particularly in Asia..Alberta's proposed oil pipeline attracts interest from Chinese petrochemical giant .The proposal is part of Premier Danielle Smith’s push to expand Alberta's and Canadian oil export capacity, with the Alberta government saying the pipeline would have a capacity of one million barrels per day (bpd), with construction potentially beginning as early as 2027.Currently, there are multiple routes being considered to get oil to tidewater, and as of yet, no public proponent has been announced.Hogan also touched on the new industrial carbon tax agreement reached between Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying it is designed to provide greater certainty for carbon capture investment while allowing industry to remain competitive.He acknowledged that Alberta’s industrial carbon market had not been functioning as intended, noting that while the headline carbon tax was substantially higher, the actual traded price had fallen below $20 per tonne.“I think we have to start acknowledging a reality, which is that the headline price of carbon in Alberta was far off from what the actual traded price was,” Hogan said.“We now have a deal that pushes that forward, including with price floors and with agreements that we can purchase and secure that price up to $130.”When asked whether Ottawa plans to introduce additional residential energy efficiency programs, Hogan declined to provide specifics but suggested further announcements are forthcoming.“We can stay tuned, and we can anticipate other programs,” he said.“We’re always looking for ways we can help Canadians save money.”

'PROJECT IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST': Corey Hogan says Ottawa awaits Alberta's pipeline proposal

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