Project Manager Joe Hill  points out proposed pipeline route – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – The plan to  install a new 260 kilometer  natural gas pipeline was the  subject of an open house in Prince George last evening.

Residents were invited to talk with representatives from  TransCanada  about the  Merrick Mainline Project.

The line would run from  TransCanada’s Groundbirch Mainline 35 kms west of Dawson Creek,  to  a connection near Summit Lake,  just 42 kms north of Prince George.

The project is estimated to cost $1.9 billion dollars.

Project manager, Joel Hill says the open house is important to clear the air “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about  whether this  is  an oil line or a gas line,  and those are good questions for sure.”

Of course when you talk about development in BC now,  you have to  look at  the recent Supreme Court ruling which established  aboriginal title  and  set the ground work for consultation with  First Nations when  there is a project in consideration.  Hill says  he is not  fully versed on the full ruling  so he can’t speak to  how it might  impact the project, but  notes TransCanada has always worked with communities  “We have a long good standing relationship with many communities it is standard practice for us to engage(with communities).”

The project will have to  undergo a full environmental assessment,  says Hill “What  we find, typically in communities is that the concern is the environment,  and we  have an  excellent plan to address environmental concerns.”

The pipeline will  carry  natural gas  to  the proposed Pacific Trail Pipeline that will  terminate at the Kitimat LNG plant at Bish Cove near Kitimat .

If the project is  approved,  pipeline construction could start in 2017 and the line  could be operational  in 2020.