A rail proposal to get land-locked oil out of Alberta and to Asian markets is being headed up by Matt Vickers, CEO of G Seven Generations Ltd. (G7G).
According to a news release the company filed on Thursday, the company wants to build a 2,400-kilometre rail line running from Fort McMurray, Alberta to Valdez, Alaska. The Financial Post notes that a single track would cost $8.4-billion and carry 1.5 million barrels per day. In comparison the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline has a capacity of 1/2 million barrels a day and will cost $5.5 billion.
According to Vickers aboriginal groups along the route have given preliminary approval.
“The greatest strength of our Alberta-Alaska railway concept is the support it has received from First Nations along the route,” said Vickers in a statement.
While the Northern Gateway is tied up in political wrangling, Vickers told Francis his group approached the problem of getting land-locked oil out of Alberta by building local support first and getting a social license.
“To ensure this could be a real project, we began to knock on the doors of all the First Nations and tribes in Alaska along the route,” said Vickers.
“I finished doing that in July, getting letters of support from all. Plus, in July, I got support from the National Assembly of First Nations in the form of a resolution representing all 603 chiefs in the Assembly.”
The route also has some other advantages, a tie in to existing oil transportation infrastructure that has already been built in Alaska and the shipping time to Asia from Alaska is considerably shorter than shipping from Kitimat.
News release from G Seven Generations Ltd. (G7G):
New railway would provide market access, avoid B.C. oil tanker and pipeline conflicts
VANCOUVER, Nov. 14, 2012 /CNW/ – Leaders of the affected First Nations and Alaskan Tribes have expressed support for a new “purpose built” railway that would link Alaska, Yukon, northern British Columbia and northern Alberta to the rest of North America.
The railway, being proposed by G Seven Generations Ltd. (G7G), would provide access to Pacific tidewater for the import and export of commodities including oil sands products.
“The greatest strength of our Alberta-Alaska railway concept is the support it has received from First Nations along the route,” points out G7G Partner and CEO Matt Vickers.
“Studies have already demonstrated that a rail link to Alaska is a viable alternative to the oil pipelines currently being planned through British Columbia,” said Vickers. “This approach is timely because it promises significant economic benefits to First Nations communities and all of Canada while avoiding many of the environmental risks associated with current pipeline proposals and related supertanker traffic off B.C.’s West Coast.”
“British Columbians opposition to oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s coast is very strong and should not fall on deaf ears,” states Chief Marilyn Slett of the Heiltsuk Nation.
“Diversifying markets for Canadian oil is an important challenge, but we need to achieve this goal in the most environmentally and socially responsible way possible,” adds Grand Chief Roland Twinn of Treaty 8 Alberta.
A key advantage of G7G’s rail link is that it would utilize the existing marine terminal in Valdez, which is facing a declining supply of oil from Alaska’s North Slope. The estimated 2,400-kilometre-long railway would run northwest from Fort McMurray, Alberta to connect with the Alyeska Pipeline at Delta Junction, approximately 130 kilometres southeast of Fairbanks. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) currently carries oil from the North Slope to the Valdez marine super tanker terminal.
“Valdez has seen oil tanker traffic since the 1970s; this proposal would simply mean replacing the declining supply of Alaska crude with a new supply of Alberta crude. We believe this approach has a greater chance of obtaining social license from local communities than other competing scenarios,” said Chief Ronald Kreutzer of Fort McMurray First Nation.
“We began with outreach to First Nations and Tribal Leadership and are now moving forward with informing the membership through community meetings,” said Vickers, who holds traditional names from the Heiltsuk and Tsimshian Nations. “G7G is pleased that we have been able to offer First Nations from Alberta to Alaska a 50-percent stake in the railroad.”
“The First Nations fully support the concept because in reality, if we don’t take the initiative somebody else will,” said Chief Simon Mervyn, of the First Nation Na-cho Nyak Dun.
G7G will now complete the project’s feasibility study and community information meetings. The next phase is the approval process, which will include full community consultation and accommodation, and lead to the development of the business plan.
Current First Nations support for the rail-link concept is specific to exploring the feasibility of the project.
Image with caption: “Dedicated to Alternative Solutions for the benefit of all. (CNW Group/G Seven Generations Ltd.)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121114_C8259_PHOTO_EN_20689.jpg
SOURCE: G Seven Generations Ltd.
For further information:
Matt Vickers:
778-239-1440; [email protected] www.unrailco.com
15 Comments
laughing at you
throw a few extra bottles of booze in the truck and those lazy azzed indians will climb on board – all it really amounts to is bribery – they want more money to cross their land – forgetting in fact that the land actually belongs to the Crown and we let them live on it while they suck up our tax dollars as welfare payments
hinotes
The BC tree huggers, had Harper favorite henchman Gordon Campbell, give our resources to Red China too. There are 2,000 Chinese miners to take our BC mining jobs. All Campbell said was. China must send their people to school, to learn 100 English words, so they can take the mining jobs. Campbell has already shipped our BC mills to China along with our raw logs. This put 131,000 BC mill people out of jobs.Gordon Campbell actually sold our BC rivers to his buddies. They put hydro dams in them, what a mess and a screw-up to our BC hydro. Campbell also thieved and sold our, BC Railroad. His first election lie, the BCR wasn’t for sale. Everything of value in BC is thieved, sold and is now gone. That is including all of the jobs. Harper and Campbell also forced the HST onto the BC citizens. This was Campbell’s second election lie. The HST wasn’t on his radar. However, Harper was drooling at the mouth for BC’s HST, so they forced the illegal tax on us anyway. There is very little in BC that isn’t taxed. Now, you tell me? What was a, BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell doing working for Harper, a so called Conservative? What is Liberal Premier Christy Clark doing, working for Harper? Why are the BC Liberals, giving our BC mining to Red China? Why did the BC Liberals give our mill industry to Red China?
The only industry we have left, is tourism. Everything else, Harper and Campbell thieved and destroyed. Their dirty diseased fish farms, are killing off the wild Salmon. BC can’t afford a pipe burst nor a massive tanker spill. There is still oil gathering on the rocks, from the Valdez spill 25 years ago. The Valdez spill is a teacup spill, compared to one of the behemoth tankers.
However, none of you have given a damn about, what a spill would do to BC. None of you.
Shapesphere
Why stop with oil…The distance from Alaska to Asia is far shorter than from Vancouver to Asia. Would it be possible to extend the railway all the way to Valdez and cut BC out of the entire import/export business that drives 70% of its economy?
BC Banished
Communism is in full swing in B.C., with every ones hand out for no work provided. B.C. is sold lock and stock to appease crown and corporation. As the first nations are concerned of course their on board, until work is done, then the continuous corruption takes hold. Be sure to factor in several negotiations and pay offs to satisfy the first nations people, simply look at their track record….be prepared to pay up front, during and the back end, they will increase costs and slow production.
K. Elliott
Right…as soon as I got to the 50% for the natives I realized why they were all on board. The almighty damn dollar. As usual, they are doing nothing for it.
NormanWells
I have a hard time believing it would be safer and it would cost more. It would take 80 unit trains a day. A week turnaround would require over 50,000 cars. But hey if you can do it then more hair on ya. Should bother the envirocranks which is worth it in itself.
treehouse
Your last sentence blew any credence you may have had. Just another blowhard Albertan.
NormanWells
There’s greater environmental risk but a 50% cut shows natives have their price. Gotta love it. The distance is close to the same as over existing lines to Natchez. That would be my choice. Why share with them?
Disgruntledinontario
I love it!! The mini Suzukis will be left twiddling their thumbs… How quiet they’ve become since they’ve lost their foreign and tax deductible money. The BC tree-huggers will wonder where the money went.
D.Hussey
Has anyone looked at the frequency of rail accidents vs pipeline accidents in assessing this as a superior means of exporting Alberta oil?
keithkcummings
calling the First Nations folks “tribes’, isn’t a good first step in negociating with Canadians of aboriginal descent. You suffer from the same issues that Monaco and Holder have, white cultural supremacy and corperate profit at all costs. Still, what you offer is possibly the least dangerous to our country’s lands and waters. but it would be nice to see what non-Harper controlled environmental scientists think about it before I get on board. I do wonder if we spent all those billions on wind-farms and more environmentally caring ways of generating power, how that would compare to destroying northern Alberta and other parts of Canada that will undoubtably have massive oil spills sometime in the next decade.
hinotes
All that is left for BC citizens is tourism. Ex BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell also sold our resources out to Communist China. Campbell said the Chinese must go to school and, learn 100 English words to take BC mining jobs. Campbell had already shipped shipped BC mills to China, along with their raw timber. Campbell thieved and sold the BCR railroad. Everything of value in BC, has been thieved, sold and is now gone. Campbell works for Harper, they forced the HST onto BC citizens while, in a deep recession. 131,000 BC mill workers lost their jobs because of Campbell. Citizens of BC, get none of the resource jobs. Mines owned by the U.S. will bring their own workers. Mines owned by China, also bring their own workers.
BC can not afford a pipe burst nor a tanker spill. However, no-one gives a damn about that. Their own greed always comes first. BC people are tree huggers, that’s all we have left. Harper and his, Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, have thieved and sold every asset and, every resource this province had.
Colin
The current rail ends at Minerat, although the bed and several bridges of the line almost reach Dease lake. the plan is doable and will have far reaching impacts beyond oil. The rail line passes by the Klappan coal seam and would be attractive to about 5 potential mines in the region. the oil companies would have to compete for space on this line. Also means that the forestry industry in the Yukon could compete with lower transportation costs.
trevormarr
Both Rail AND Pipeline could be done within the same Right of Way and make construction and shipping volumes as efficient as possible!
ft
Looks like the greedy along the pipeline route may have shot themselves in the foot. In an effort to swindle more money from the pipeline builders they have forced the oil to take a differnt route.
Train accidents involving unit trains like oil are about as freqwuent as pipeline spills and ships sinking which is to say-not bloody very often.
As for all the special interest groups protesting the pipeline-that means you teachers union- there is going to be less money for education. Bo-hoo.