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OTTAWA — A pair of proposed natural gas projects in B.C. and Quebec will serve as the testing ground for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new environmental assessment regime, an expanded review process that industry groups claim could hamstring major projects.

Both the Gazoduq pipeline, a key feature in a $14-billion plan to export liquefied natural gas from Saguenay, Que., and Cedar LNG, an export facility proposed for construction in Kitimat, B.C., will be subject to regulatory changes introduced under Bill C-69. They are among four initial projects that will fall under the new review process, which came into force in August.

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The Trudeau government this summer passed Bill C-69, a controversial piece of legislation that expanded the regulatory review process for major projects including anything from sea ports to nuclear plants. Industry groups like the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers claimed the new regime would effectively bar new pipeline proposals, adding to frustrations over a decade-long bottleneck that has pinched prices for Canadian crude oil. Other groups including the Mining Association of Canada broadly supported the bill.