SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities believes that the benefits of the Energy East pipeline project far outweigh the risks.
The pipeline would ship oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to the East Coast.
Association president Ray Orb says the pipeline would bring taxation revenues to the rural municipalities that have the pipeline on its land, plus it would create more jobs and also bring in revenue for the province.
One of the terminals for the project would be based in Saskatchewan.
Orb says that pipeline oil is also safer than the current option of hauling oil by train cars.
He says that they see a lot of oil cars on the rail line, and they don’t want another disaster like Lac Megantic in Quebec in 2013.
In July, 2013, a train carrying crude oil derailed in the town, catching fire. It killed 47 people, forced 2,000 from their homes and destroyed much of the downtown core.
The completion of the Energy East pipeline is scheduled for 2020.
(CJWW)