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OTTAWA — Senators will consider a list of sweeping amendments in their study of the federal government’s controversial energy legislation, drawing battle lines on a bill that has become a rallying cry for critics of the Liberals’ approach to resource development and the environment.

Late on Tuesday, senators agreed to consider a package of amendments put forward by Conservative Sen. Michael MacDonald, deputy chair of the committee studying Bill C-69.

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Taken together, the roughly 70 proposed amendments to C-69 would represent a deep and structural reconfiguration of a bill that has been met with scorn by the oil and gas sector. The committee will now discuss whether those amendments will be included in its final report, though observers say it is unlikely the federal government will accept any extensive alterations.

The package of proposed changes includes submissions from such industry lobby groups as the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), as well as provincial governments that oppose the legislation. Among other things, they aim to shave timelines for new resource projects, limit the scope of ministerial powers and make economic considerations a higher priority when determining whether a major project gets built.