Canadian leader in line behind Enbridge

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Alberta government will continue to support the Northern Gateway oil pipeline along with other provincial leaders, the premier said.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark stressed the need "to combine environmental safety with our fair share of fiscal and economic benefits" from the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline.

Pipeline company Enbridge plans to build the Northern Gateway oil pipeline from oil sands projects in Alberta province to the coast of British Columbia. The Canadian government has expressed support for a series of similar pipelines that would facilitate Asian exports.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford said pipelines like Northern Gateway would provide an economic boost for the entire country.

"We have every other premier across this country understanding the importance of an energy economy and understanding it is important for all Canadians that we do work together," she was quoted by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail as saying. "We'll continue to do that."

She added, however, that it was "entirely appropriate" for the provincial government in British Columbia to discuss the prospects for Northern Gateway.

Aboriginal communities along the western Canadian coast have expressed concern about the project. The safety record for Enbridge was tarnished by a 2010 oil pipeline rupture in Michigan, the costliest onshore spill in U.S. history, and a July spill in Wisconsin.