Al Monaco knows a thing or two about trying to build a new oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast.

The former CEO of Enbridge, the Calgary-based company that tried unsuccessfully to get the Northern Gateway pipeline across the finish line last decade, also knows how to get major developments completed, like the company’s massive Line 3 replacement project.

And while he was at the helm of the pipeline giant four years ago, Enbridge struck a historic agreement with 23 First Nations and Metis communities in northern Alberta, when they acquired a $1.12-billion equity stake in seven different pipelines.

Today, attention has turned to the newly named Pacific Link proposed pipeline to the southern British Columbia coast, which Ottawa declared a project of national importance on Thursday, putting it on an expedited track for regulatory approvals.

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Monaco believes it’s a step in the right direction. But it’s not built yet, either.

“No surprise here, right? The ducks have been lining up for a while on it,” Monaco, who retired as Enbridge’s CEO at the end of 2022, said in an interview.

“But I think we have to recognize . . . there’s a lot of road yet to travel on this.”

The Pacific Link project aims to transport one million barrels per day from Bruderheim to the Roberts Bank terminal in Delta, B.C., enabling access to export markets in Asia.

There are few people who understand the complex challenges ahead for the project than Monaco.

Enbridge applied to the national energy........

© Calgary Herald