Supporters of the Mackenzie Pipeline also worry about the completion of a rival Natural Gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope to the United States.

The 3,400-mile, 4.6-Bcf/d Alaskan pipeline would likely not enter service until 2012. The U.S. Congress approved US$18 billion in loan guarantees in late 2004 for the US$20 billion project.

There are some legal questions concerning who will construct and operate the Canadian portion of the pipeline, which have delayed completion of the project. As a result, there has been talk of expanding LNG export capacity in Alaska as an alternative to the pipeline.