Chapter activists Mary Robinson and Elaine Hughes.
The Council of Canadians has requested a two week extension from the National Energy Board to their March 3rd deadline for submitting applications for the review process on the Energy East pipeline. We’ve requested this extension because, as Council of Canadians energy and climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue explains, “A number of concerns with the NEB website have been brought to our attention that have led to people trying to apply, not being able to do so.”
She highlights, “Our Winnipeg chapter, as part of the Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition, has been supporting individuals and groups affected by TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline to have the opportunity to participate in the NEB review. As they report: ‘Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition has hosted two workshops on Saturdays to assist people with the application process. The first was held on February 7th and the second was held on February, 28th. On both dates, workshop attendees were unable to successfully register for a GCKey Login. After filling in all required fields and having them accepted, the screen below appeared. This occurred at least 15 times on at least four different computers.'”
The Council of Canadians Winnipeg chapter has also written to demand an extension to the deadline. Their letter was sent to the NEB, the Premier of Manitoba, the provincial Minister of Conservation, Prime Minister Harper and the opposition party leaders. Chapter activist Mary Robinson comments, “A lot of people weren’t able to apply to the NEB as intervenors, because the NEB website had technical problems. So we think it’s reasonable that the NEB would extend the deadline.”
And the Council of Canadians Quill Plains chapter has also written to the NEB demanding an extension to the deadline. In her letter, chapter activist Elaine Hughes says, “I am writing on behalf of supporters of the Quill Plains Chapter of the Council of Canadians, (Wynyard, SK) and of all the people who tried to apply to be an intervenor for the Energy East project but, through no fault of their own, failed, apparently, because of technical difficulties with your website. …This broken process needs attention and the deadline for applying to be an intervenor for the Energy East project must be extended. I await your reply, assuring me that you have extended this deadline and treated this process and Canadian citizens with the respect they deserve.”
To send your letter to the National Energy Board on this matter, their mailing address is: National Energy Board, 517 Tenth Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0A8. You can also fax your letter to them at 1-877-288-8803 or call them at 1-800-899-1265.
This morning, the Financial Post reported that, “Not all of the 1,801 Energy East applicants [that were received] will be allowed to participate in the review process. [NEB spokesperson Katherine] Murphy said the regulator would decide which of the applications would be approved by the middle of the year.”
Further reading
Council of Canadians joins flood of people wanting their say on Energy East before NEB (March 2015 blog by Andrea Harden-Donahue)
Join People Intervention’s on NEB Energy East review (February 2015 blog by Andrea Harden-Donahue)
