The Northern Pipeline Agency (french: Administration du pipe-line du Nord) is a
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...
agency
Agency may refer to:
Organizations
* Institution, governmental or others
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** Employment agency, a business that ...
currently under the purview of
Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the depa ...
, and under the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade until 2004. The Agency was created in April 1978 with the
proclamation
A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...
of the Northern Pipeline Act to oversee the planning and construction of the Canadian section of the
Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline Project by the Foothills Group of Companies, now owned by
TransCanada Pipelines
TC PipeLines, LP () is a publicly traded master limited partnership. TC Energy owns 25.48% of the outstanding units and controls the general partner. TC PipeLines, LP manages and owns natural gas pipelines in the United States including 46.45% of ...
Ltd. (TCPL). Its mandate is stated as follows:
"''The Agency's mandate is twofold. First, it carries out Government of Canada responsibilities in relation to the pipeline and facilitates the efficient and expeditious planning and construction of the pipeline, taking into account local and regional interests, in particular those of native people. Secondly, it maximizes the social and economic benefits from the construction and operation of the pipeline while at the same time minimizing any adverse effect on the social and environmental conditions of the areas most directly affected by the pipeline.''"
Further,
"''The NPA acts as a single window between federal authorities and the Foothills Group of Companies, and between provincial and territorial governments, and the Government of the United States. In keeping with the Act, many regulatory powers of other Government of Canada departments and agencies related to the pipeline project are delegated to the NPA. This is not the case for those powers reserved exclusively to the National Energy Board or shared between the Board and the NPA.''"
The Agency oversaw the construction of the Prebuild from Caroline, Alberta to San Francisco and Chicago in the West and East respectively in the early 1980s but unfavourable economic conditions led to the suspension of Stage II (construction from the Alaska border near Beaver Creek, YT to the Alberta border near Boundary Lake, B.C.) as well as a corresponding reduction in resources and a prolonged period of inactivity. The Agency currently has a relatively small office, including the head Commissioner, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada Serge P. Dupont, who reports to
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
through the
Minister of Natural Resources
The minister of natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resources portfolio ...
, the Honourable Christian Paradis. The Agency Office develops and consults on major policy issues between the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
, and the Government of Canada
departments and agencies, concerned. An Assistant Commissioner was hired on a full-time basis in 2009, and several more staff have been hired since. The Act also provides for the appointment of an Administrator and Designated Officer within the National Energy Board (NEB), whose responsibilities are those relegated from the Commissioner. The Designated Officer is given responsibilities defined by the
National Energy Board
The National Energy Board was an independent economic regulatory agency created in 1959 by the Government of Canada to oversee "international and inter-provincial aspects of the oil, gas and electric utility industries". Its head office was located ...
.
References
1978 in Canada
Natural Resources Canada
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