Calgary, Alberta – 19 April 2018
The Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC) represents the future leaders, engineers, scientists, and builders of the Canadian energy industry, and we are deeply concerned about the ambiguity and uncertainty of the approvals process for energy infrastructure projects in Canada and the interference with regulatory decisions, both which undermine Canada’s infrastructure needs as demonstrated by the current issues related to the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.
Pipelines are critical to the transport of oil and gas which fuels our modern way of life. We depend on hydrocarbons to produce and transport the food and everyday products and services we use. Critical social services in our country depend on the success of the oil and gas and pipeline sectors to continue funding hospitals, schools, roads, charities, and recreation facilities. It is these sectors that provide Canadians with well-paying jobs and the capital to drive our economy for generations to come.
YPAC is proud to be the next generation of leaders of our Canadian pipeline industry; an industry that is leading the world in pipeline safety, environmental stewardship, and Indigenous engagement. We recognize that the energy landscape will eventually shift to a low-carbon future. This shift will require significant capital investment and research to get us there. In the near term, the global demand for oil and gas products is expected to increase and Canada needs to seize this opportunity by building our pipeline infrastructure to obtain the maximum value for our resources – value that will support our transition to a low-carbon future.
Currently, uncertainty in the approvals process and interference with regulatory decisions are impeding Canada’s ability to move our oil and gas resources, which are developed to the highest environmental standards in the world, to fulfill global energy demand. We are concerned that less regulated countries are not only increasing their production to meet this global demand, but are also increasing their deliveries of oil and gas to Canadian coasts. Without Canada’s participation as a major player in the energy markets, global environmental efforts will fall behind.
YPAC calls on federal and provincial leaders to work together to resolve the current impasse with the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in a manner that reflects the national interest in the short, medium and long term.
Canada’s ability to influence the world’s transition to sustainable energy requires not only leadership, but also the economic prosperity to fund the transition.