Canadian oil pipeline blocked

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 3 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge hasn't allayed concerns its Northern Gateway oil pipeline would present an environmental threat, British Columbia said.

Enbridge plans to build the $6 billion Northern Gateway pipeline to the West Coast face opposition from provincial and environmental leaders concerned about the safety of transporting oil sands from Alberta province.

The provincial government issued a letter to a federal review panel saying Enbridge hasn't done enough to allay concerns.

"It is not clear from the evidence that [the company] will in fact be able to respond effectively to spills either from the pipeline itself, or from tankers transporting diluted bitumen from the proposed Kitimat terminal," the Vancouver Sun quoted the provincial government as saying.

Provincial Energy Minister Terry Lake told the newspaper last week regional authorities don't think the project should go forward.

Most of the Canadian crude oil export market is dependent on the United States though Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has tried to woo Asian economies to the energy sector by backing oil projects for the western coast

Enbridge Vice President for Northern Gateway Janet Holder said the company was working to make revisions to the project proposal to ally provincial concerns.