On November 21st, CAFES delivered a presentation to the City of Ottawa’s Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting to address Councillor Tierney’s motion for the City to retract the testimony it gave at an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) hearing last year and endorse Enbridge’s proposed natural gas pipeline replacement project along St. Laurent Boulevard.
The $100 Million plus pipeline project was rejected by the OEB in May 2022 because the case for the need for replacement was not persuasive; monitoring and maintenance (rather than replacement) is far more cost effective; and concerns that renewing major fossil fuel infrastructure runs counter to projections of declining gas volumes and the City’s plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
CAFES holds that investing in an expansion of gas pipelines makes no sense in the face of efforts to reduce fossil fuels. Equally strikingly, CAFES also pointed out that the project presents an affordability issue. The average residential monthly natural gas bill is $86.43, and Enbridge, as part of its rate hike application to support its gas expansion plans, expects to increase this by $28 to $193 more annually per customer.
CAFES argued that it is inappropriate for Councillors to direct staff to change evidence provided to OEB. Restricting City staff in their professional capacity from participating in regulatory proceedings of the OEB is harmful for the City. Likewise, it is inappropriate for the City to take a position on a new application to the OEB without having reviewed the application. Care must be taken that lobbyists do not have undue influence. Outcome: The Tierney motion was significantly revised, removing the problematic aspects. Enbridge expects to bring its proposal back to the OEB early in the new year with new arguments and evidence for the need for a capital project to replace the pipeline. If approved, construction would begin later in 2024.
