Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Braden on October 30th, 2006, regarding regulatory authority for enforcement of air quality standards.
As the Member correctly pointed out, there is no single government agency, federal or territorial, that has the overall responsibility for regulating air quality and pollutant emissions in the Northwest Territories.
The Government of the Northwest Territories regulates air quality and emissions on lands under our jurisdiction -- those being Commissioner's land -- using air quality and emission standards and guidelines adopted under the Northwest Territories Environmental Protection Act.
To provide an information baseline against which potentially impacts from community and development activities can be measured, such as the proposed Mackenzie gas project, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources also operates modern, state-of-the-art quality monitoring stations in Fort Liard, Norman
Wells, Inuvik and Yellowknife. Information obtained through this monitoring network is made available to all residents through the department's website. Finally, the department is currently developing an air quality and emissions management code for the upstream oil and gas industry in the Northwest Territories. Although we don't regulate this activity directly, it is important that the oil and gas industry be provided with direction as to what practices and measures we, the territorial government, expect them to comply with.
Mr. Speaker, with specific reference to the Member's question on the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and enforcement of air quality standards, the National Energy Board has the authority to regulate air emissions from oil and gas development projects on federal lands or those that cross provincial-territorial borders. Environment and Natural Resources has taken an active role in the current pipeline project review process. As recently as October 17, 2006, the department collaborated with Environment Canada to provide advice and recommendations on air quality and emissions management to the Joint Review Panel.
Through our written and verbal submissions, we suggested that the panel, as part of its final report, forward our advice and recommendations on air quality management to the National Energy Board. In previous oil and gas projects, air issues have been addressed through the National Energy Board regulatory process and we are confident that, with the panel's support, the National Energy Board will again fulfill its regulatory responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, it is not this government's practice, nor do we have the financial capability, to monitor and regulate air quality and pollution emissions from federally authorized industrial projects located on federal land. This remains a federal responsibility until resource management powers and resources are devolved from the federal government. In the meantime, we will continue to work with existing federal, aboriginal and municipal agencies to ensure air quality in the Northwest Territories is protected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.