Mackenzie Pipeline Enjoys `Head Start'

Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice says the Imperial Oil Ltd.'s Mackenzie pipeline project has cleared most regulatory hurdles and has a ``head start'' over a competing project in Alaska.

The Mackenzie pipeline capacity is about 25% of the capacity of the planned Alaska Gas Pipeline.

Calgary-based Imperial, is 70 percent-owned by Exxon Mobil Corp. Other partners in the Canadian project include Exxon Mobil, Shell Canada Ltd., ConocoPhillips and the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, which represents some northern native bands.

This project will compete with the both planned Alaska pipelines (TransCanada AGIA, and ConocoPhillips BP Denali) for customers, steel, engineers and craft labor. Unlike the plannned Alaska pipelines, the Mackenzie passes the "Is Exxon Happy" test.