Unclogging the Pipes : Pipeline Reviews and Energy Policy

Canada’s energy sector, and the Canadian economy, would benefit from a renewed focus on pipeline review policy and regulation. Recent cases, including the Mackenzie Valley pipeline, the Keystone XL, and the Northern Gateway pipeline, highlight current challenges and the need for an improved regulatory review process. This paper argues for improvements in two key areas. First, the regulatory review process needs focus and harmonization. Second, governments urgently need to address scope creep in regulatory review analysis and decisionmaking