Liability as an Asset
One of the most critical functions of EnviroLens LSN Corridors is to provide a structured space for specific reframing of large problems impacting a diverse collection of stakeholders all carrying many unique and offsetting priorities. By reframing the challenge, reimaging solutions and recombining shared knowledge, new routes to mutually beneficial outcomes are surfaced.
Take the diverse and dynamic challenges currently impacting the consultation process between the Pathways Alliance, the Government of Alberta and the First Nations of Treaty 6 along the proposed CCUS corridor. From every angle the Pathways CCUS project is a critical domino that needs to fall in order to put Canada and specifically Alberta on course to realize the promise presented by the recent energy development MOU between Danielle Smith and Mark Carney.
Unlocking Progress Through Adjacent Opportunities
With so many complex issues adding friction to the consultation process between the parties, identifying opportunities to work together on adjacent challenges that have long been a source of mistrust could act as a key catalyst for progress on Pathways. For Treaty 6 Member Nations the legacy inactive and un-reclaimed oil and gas sites on their treaty and ancestral lands, could serve as one of those opportunities.
Legacy Liabilities as a Pathway to Trust and Momentum
The current inventory of conventional inactive and un-reclaimed sites held by Pathways Alliance companies across the province of Alberta exceeds 50,000 with a significant number of those sites displaying both high risk environmental indicators and substantial histories of documented regulatory non-compliance. It is easy to understand how these issues have contributed to the current state of consultations. When combined with the fact that under AER D088 Pathways Alliance companies are required to spend north of $250M CAD annually on remediation and reclamation activity across the province. In this context it is easy to see how prioritized closure work occurring on Treaty 6 lands under a managed Pathways LSN Corridor project might lead to a thaw in relationships between the parties and create the conditions for sincere consultation on the Pathways CCUS project, providing a flywheel of benefit for all stakeholders.