OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington state leaders are criticizing Canada’s progress on a new oil pipeline planned near the Salish Sea.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday, Oct. 1, that the Canadian government is listing the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a project of national interest.

The proposed pipeline, also known as the Pacific Link, would carry one million barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the B.C. coast.

Carney says it will deliver the oil to growing markets in Asia in an attempt to reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States.

“Canada has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become a global energy superpower,” Carney said in a news release. “To become less reliant on a single trade partner. To achieve greater strategic autonomy, so we can continue to live our lives as we choose. Pacific Link is critical to this mission. To seize this opportunity, we are building together – boldly, sustainably and in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples. In a more dangerous, divided world, Canada is working.”

Canada and Alberta would share equal ownership of the pipeline, while offering at least 10% ownership interest to Indigenous communities.

Governor Bob Ferguson said Friday, Oct. 2, in a joint statement with Washington State Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller that they’re disappointed by Carney’s announcement. Ferguson claims the proposed pipeline’s new classification would fast-track the project by limiting environmental reviews and the ability to provide input.

According to the governor, the pipeline would double the volume of Canadian crude oil traveling through Haro Strait and Boundary Pass. He expressed concern over the increased potential for spills that could pose a major threat to the Salish Sea ecosystem, including Southern Resident orcas.

“The proposed project would bring a massive expansion in both the volume of crude oil and the number of tankers transiting the Salish Sea. If a project of this scale is going to proceed, it needs to come with a corresponding commitment to also increase our region’s capacity to prevent and respond to a catastrophic spill,” Ferguson said in a news release. “Washington State has worked for decades to ensure that we are ready to respond to a major oil spill on either side of the border. These existing resources would be insufficient in the face of this scale of expansion.”

The project comes as part of Canada’s broader goal to double its non-U.S. exports over the next decade. The Canadian government expects the pipeline to create 140,000 jobs across the country and generate over $20 billion in GDP per year.

Construction of the pipeline could begin as early as September 2027.