Alberta First Nations want consultation, benefits from oilsands carbon storage plans

A number of Alberta First Nations have instructed the province’s authorities and power trade that they have to be consulted and share in the advantages of carbon seize tasks close to their lands which might be essential to creating the oilsands extra local weather pleasant.

“(The businesses) wish to work collectively to scale back local weather results,” mentioned Cameron Alexis, head of Tribal Chiefs Ventures, which incorporates six Treaty 6 First Nations close to Chilly Lake, Alta.

“Nonetheless, these large gamers didn’t come within the first occasion to the First Nations.

“We’re an afterthought and that’s not proper.”

The six largest oilsands producers — Suncor, Cenovus Power, Canadian Pure, MEG Power and Imperial Oil — have fashioned a bunch referred to as Oil Sands Pathways to work collectively to discover a technique to scale back the trade’s greenhouse fuel emissions and convey them to web zero.

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Its plans rely closely on carbon seize and storage, which might gather carbon dioxide from massive emitters at oilsands mines, pipe it to a central location and inject it deep underground in geologic formations that will preserve the carbon safely out of the ambiance.

However Alexis factors out a lot of that infrastructure, in addition to the underground formations getting used, would lie on or close to First Nations conventional territory.

“We wish full session and full inclusion.”

Alexis mentioned the bands may also be trying to negotiate affect and advantages agreements. And they’ll need analysis to make sure the developments are secure for the land and the individuals.

The chiefs have already met with the heads of oilsands corporations and mentioned they’ve despatched a letter to Premier Jason Kenney to specific their considerations.

Justin Brattinga, spokesman for Kenney’s workplace, mentioned the province has no file of any letter from the chiefs or their bands on the difficulty.

“The challenge hasn’t superior sufficient for us to be concerned within the course of,” he mentioned in an e mail.

Kendall Dilling, interim head of Pathways, mentioned talks with First Nations are simply starting.

“They wish to be intimately concerned on this journey,” he mentioned. “Most of this infrastructure can be on their conventional lands they usually wish to be on the desk.”

Dilling mentioned the projected carbon dioxide pipelines would largely observe current right-of-ways. He mentioned the injection facility would include 16 or so wells that look much like a pure fuel area, with which the First Nations are acquainted.

Not one of the underground cupboard space the businesses have utilized to make use of underlies First Nations land, Dilling mentioned.

The chiefs have already had one assembly with Pathways. He mentioned they’re in search of greater than development jobs.

“They need long term and extra predictable income streams.”

That may embrace an fairness stake, mentioned Dilling, much like how some First Nations have taken possession of oilsands tank farms and pipelines.

“We’re open to exploring it.”

Dilling mentioned the chiefs have been additionally involved that environmental monitoring of any carbon storage challenge be properly deliberate and thorough.

“We’re going to work with the First Nations’ requests.”

However Alexis mentioned the oilsands producers first introduced their plans final fall and the session course of has barely begun greater than six months later.

He mentioned First Nations ought to have been concerned from the beginning, not simply match into one thing already laid out.

“These items ought to be occurring earlier than there’s even a footprint.”

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