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The Federal Court of Appeal last month quashed the approval the NEB and the cabinet gave the project in 2016, citing improper consultation with Indigenous communities and a lack of review of the marine shipping issue. The decision laid out some specific things Canada and the NEB have to do if they want to get the pipeline approved again.

“Obviously this decision was disappointing, but by no means insurmountable,” said Sohi.

He said Canada’s plans to restart consultations with Indigenous communities will be announced shortly.

A source told The Canadian Press recently the government is looking at hiring a retired federal judge to help oversee those consultations with a view to ensuring they follow court-ordered processes exactly this time.

Sohi is also appointing a scientific technical adviser to the NEB review panel to help conduct the oil tanker review.

The expansion project is to build a second pipeline, roughly parallel to the existing one that runs between Edmonton and Burnaby, B.C. It will triple the total capacity, but the new pipeline will only carry diluted bitumen for export to foreign refineries, while the existing one carries a number of products including refined oil.

Sohi was speaking from Halifax, where he is hosting G7 energy ministers for meetings today. G7 environment ministers spent time talking about issues like climate change earlier in the week.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Friday the issue of expanding the pipeline was not raised at those meetings. Canada has been heavily criticized by environmental groups for approving the expanded pipeline, which they argue is incompatible with Canada’s promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions and help slow global warming.