Safer option?

The mayor of Greenstone says he believes the proposed TransCanada Corp west-to-east pipeline will be safer than using trains to transport crude oil across the country.

Officials with TransCanada announced Thursday that they would be moving ahead with the Energy East pipeline project. The $12 billion project is intended to ship 1.1 million barrels of crude oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to its final destination in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Although the final route for the 4,400-kilometre pipeline has yet to be determined, Greenstone mayor Renald Beaulieu said he hopes the Calgary-based company uses the existing pipes in his region.

Given the tragic derailment in Lac-Megantic last month, Beaulieu said transporting crude oil through a pipeline appears to be the safer option.

“We’re already at risk,” he said. “That pipeline is already there but loaded with something different. When I was mayor in ’84, ’85, right in town we had a big train derailment with chemicals and we needed to evacuate the whole community. It could have been oil.”

Beaulieu also mentioned about four years ago the natural gas pipeline near Beardmore exploded.

He said the project could create plenty of spin off jobs for the region as well as permanent jobs if the company installs pumping stations.

One of the main concerns about the project is the potential environmental impacts. Beaulieu said he’s aware of these issues and agrees that there are risks but feels that modern technology can reduce worse case scenarios.

“For me, there will be benefits,” he said. “Am I conscientious of the environment? You bet I am. I want to make sure our lives are protected. At the same time, life has to go on. We can’t just looked at it on the negative side. We have to look at the positive side of things.”

He added that the plan is still in its infancy and he hasn’t even discussed the issue yet with city council.