The traveling road show that is the National Energy Board hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway project makes it first of many stops in Prince Rupert on Monday.
Before the Joint Review Panel (JRP) wraps up for its Christmas break on Dec. 17, the goal is to complete the first Northern Gateway witness panel dealing with the marine environmental and socio-economic effects of the plan to build a tank farm and port to export piped Alberta crude oil to Asian markets.
Four other Northern Gateway panels will follow in the new year followed by witnesses from intervener groups and the federal government.
More than 300 hours of cross-examination is expected involving 24 witness panels, although if the hearings in Prince George were any indication, those numbers could fluctuate greatly as parties add and remove themselves from the order of appearance as the process progresses.
The Prince Rupert hearings will deal with the marine aspects of the $6.5 billion project as well as public and Aboriginal consultation.
A pair of First Nations groups have blocked off the most time, with the Gitxaala Nation leading the way with 71 hours of questioning, followed closely by the Haisla Nation at 61. In all there are 23 intervener individuals or groups who have signed up to ask questions.
For its part, Northern Gateway plans to question 14 different witness panels put forward by various intervener groups.
Northern Gateway president John Carruthers and consultant Jeff Green are expected to be the iron men among the witnesses as both are scheduled to sit on four of the five proponent panels. Other notable witnesses include Enbridge vice-president for western access Janet Holder on the Aboriginal engagement and public consultation panel and Haisla Nation chief counsellor Ellis Ross on one of his group's engagement and consultation panels.
The federal government has four witness panels set to take the stand, including a 34-member panel on environmental effects. Environment Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources Canada, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will all have staff on at least one witness panel.
The largest witness panel currently belongs to the Gitxaala who have 39 people ready to talk about Aboriginal rights and interest, however Northern Gateway has only estimated one hour of cross-examination for that group. If that holds, it could take longer to swear everyone in than it does for the cross-examination to be completed.
The B.C. provincial government has signed up to ask questions of three of the five Northern Gateway witness panels, but have taken a pass on the first group of witnesses meaning they likely won't ask questions until February. The province will have questions for the company on issues like marine emergency preparedness and response, the Kitimat River valley and shipping and navigation. In all the government expects to have 10 hours worth of questions.
After breaking for the holidays, the JRP will hear oral statements from the public in Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna in January, before returning to Prince Rupert in February to continue with the cross-examination of witnesses.
When the Prince Rupert hearings wrap up, likely sometime in May, the scene will shift to Terrace in June for the last phase of the process - final arguments. Parties will submit their arguments in writing and then will have the chance to orally comment on other groups' final arguments.
The panel must submit its recommendations to the federal cabinet by the end of 2013.
