TORONTO — Ecojustice lawyer, Charles Hatt and Transition Initiative Kenora executive director, Teika Newton made the following statement in response to TransCanada’s decision to cancel the Energy East pipeline project:

Charles Hatt, Ecojustice lawyer said:

“We are overjoyed by TransCanada’s decision to scrap the Energy East pipeline project.

“In the midst of the Kinder Morgan hearing, the climate scores a big win. Fossil fuel mega-projects must now prove their business case in a climate-constrained world, to both regulators and the markets. With low-carbon energy ascending and carbon pollution limits closing in, new pipelines are a very tough sell. TransCanada didn’t even bother to try.”

Teika Newton, executive director of Transition Initiative Kenora, said:

“Today’s decision is a victory for the countless people who have worked hard to see this pipeline project axed.  We stood up to protect our lands, waters, communities, and most importantly, the global climate.

In the end, this project proved inviable when subjected to new, and more realistic stringency on greenhouse gas emissions – the kind of scrutiny all projects must require as Canada takes steps in the right direction for its international commitments to take action on climate change.”