Pacific Future Energy announces two high profile additions to their team

The proponents for a clean energy oil refinery for the North Coast have made a pair of key additions to their upper management ranks, bringing in two high profile First Nations leaders to help guide their path for their ambitious project.

At a Wedensday event at the Vancouver Board of Trade, Pacific Future Energy announced that former Assembly of First Nations Chiefs Shawn Atleo and Ovide Mercredi had joined the company as advisors to their development team.

In remarks posted to the Pacific Future Energy website, Samer Salameh, the Executive Chariman of Pacific Future Energy, outlined the commitment of the company to work with Canada's Indigenous Peoples as they look to move their oil refinery project further ahead.

"We are very excited to have both of these individuals join our company in senior roles,” said Samer Salameh, Pacific Future Energy’s Executive Chairman. “There is only one way to work with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and that is in full respect of their inherent rights and title. We stand in full support of achieving a true partnership with Indigenous Peoples, communities and families.” --- Samer Salameh, Executive Chairman Pacific Future Energy

Both Chief Atleo and Ovide Mercredi also explored that theme of change on Wednesday.

Chief Atleo at Dec 10 announcement
Photo from Pacific Future twitter feed

We have reached a moment that marks an important opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to forge a new energy vision, grounded in our rights and responsibilities, on the global economic stage-- Chief Shawn Atleo 

There is a great need for a new approach that recognizes traditional lands and territories and the third order of government. Where governments failed, perhaps, developers, industry and the business world can succeed. -- Ovide Mecredi

It is expected that both Chief Atleo and Mr. Mercredi will be working towards bringing the Pacific Future Energy message to First Nation communities across Northern BC, as the company moves forward to developing its plans for what they have called the world's greenest oil refinery.

Pacific Future Clean is one of three oil refinery or terminal proposals that have been mentioned of late for areas of the Northwest, either in Prince Rupert or Kitimat.

All three hope to offer an alternative to the Northern Gateway proposal, looking to ship refined crude, as opposed to the bitumen shipments that the Enbridge project would seek to deliver.

Considering the current turmoil in the world energy markets, one has to wonder how the economic news of the recent weeks may impact on their long term strategy, but for the moment, the entire project appears to still be moving in a forward motion.

The focus of the Pacific Future Energy location for oil refining and terminal development thus far has been marked for somewhere on the North Coast with the Prince Rupert area, on the list of potential sites for the large scale industrial project.

More on their proposed refinery project can be found here.

We also have further items related to their proposed development available on our archive page here.