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Sign of the Times: Graffiti on a building at Fourth Avenue and George Street reflects polarized views in the debate surrounding the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
$13B refinery proposed at Kitimat Media mogul David Black proposes facility to take Northern Gateway oil DeLynda Pilon
Bill Phillips editor@pgfreepress.com
newsroom@pgfreepress.com
It’s a game-changer for the debate on the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Newspaper owner David Black is proposing to build a $13-billion oil refinery in Kitimat. Black said, at a press conference Friday morning, he is submitting an environmental assessment application to build a world scale oil refinery on behalf of Kitimat Clean Ltd., a company owned by Black. “I will self-describe myself as a businessman, a father and grandfather, a British Columbian, a sailor and quiet environmentalist, and a believer in putting back for the next generation,” Black said. Black said he will put up the money for the environmental assessment. Funding for the proposed refinery has yet to be secured, however, he is confident it can be raised. It hinges, however, on the fate of the pipeline. “If the pipeline doesn’t go ahead, there’ll be no refinery,” he said. The hope is to take all the crude oil that the Northern Gateway pipeline can send. “It removes the chance of a spill of heavy crude oil (from a tanker),” Black said, adding that refined oil, such as diesel, floats and evaporates minimizing the damage in case of a spill. The project, should it go ahead, would create 6,000 construction jobs for five years and
A proposal to construct a $13-billion dollar refinery in Kitimat by media mogul David Black as an end point for Enbridge pipeline bitumen has met with mixed reactions from local leaders. MLA Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, says he sees the potential of such a project, though a lot needs to happen before such a proposal becomes a reality. “I think it’s a very interesting proposal. Of course it will have to go through an environmental review, and we have to make sure corporate investors are on board,” he said. He added he expects the addition of a refinery, should the project take hold, will change the conversation around the pipeline. “It changes the dialogue of the conversation around the Northern Gateway Pipeline, especially when you get an individual such as David Black, who comes with real credibility, and who’s engaging in this project. I look forward to following it along and seeing where it goes.” Bell said he knew Black was considering the project. “Mr. Black has e-mailed myself and Minister (Rich) Coleman over the last bit of time,” he said. “We knew he was thinking about this and thought it a was an approach to take in terms of adding value to the bitumen as well as mitigating some of the enviturn to PAGE A4
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