Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister, signed an agreement with the Alberta government to construct a new pipeline that would run from Alberta to the Pacific coast of British Columbia and export oil, including oil sands, mainly to Asian markets. The pipeline is intended to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on the United States.

According to the Guardian, more than C$150 billion in new investments have been pledged for the pipeline and related projects, and the governments plan to ease concerns of British Columbia, First Nations and separatist groups while maintaining environmental protections, including whale protections. The Guardian also reported that port expansion and protections for whales are included in the British Columbia and Alberta plan related to the pipeline.

The Institute for Energy Research reported that the energy agreement exempts the proposed pipeline from some Canadian climate laws, and that Alberta will increase its carbon pricing and develop the world’s largest carbon capture program in exchange for the pipeline agreement. The Institute for Energy Research also noted that a plan for the pipeline is to be submitted by next July, with construction potentially beginning by 2029, and that northern Alberta holds 164 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, one of the largest in the world.