Lawyers charged Enbridge failed to adequately assess pipeline’s impact on First Nations at Prince Rupert JRP – The Vancouver Observer

Dec 18th, 2012

Enbridge is failing in its mandate to assess the impact of the Northern Gateway Pipeline on First Nations in British Columbia, lawyers say.

Gaps in the environmental assessment emerged during last week’s Joint Review Panel hearings in Prince Rupert, when lawyers representing a variety of groups who stand to be affected by the project questioned Enbridge’s panel of marine experts on their knowledge of traditional Aboriginal land use.

Responses raised concerns about whether Enbridge has fully considered the project’s impact on cultural and spiritual aspects of Aboriginal territory.

 “One thing that’s becoming more and more apparent is that the potential impact on Aboriginal rights, including Aboriginal title, haven’t been properly assessed,” said Jennifer Griffith, legal counsel for the Haisla  First Nation.

Griffith asked the panel last Thursday whether Aboriginal title rights factored into the determination of significance of the land at the terminal site in Kitimat, and Enbridge representative Jeffrey Green said they were not.

Read more: http://www.vancouverobserver.com/sustainability/lawyers-charged-enbridge-failed-adequately-assesss-pipelines-impact-first-nations