A new oilsands pipeline to the northern B.C. coast is a non-starter as long as oil tankers are forbidden there, but experts say a removal of the federal ban would only lift one of many obstacles deterring the private sector from such a project.

Media reports say the federal and Alberta governments are poised to announce a memorandum of understanding Thursday, affirming support for a pipeline alongside emissions-reducing measures.

The agreement reportedly includes exemptions to the tanker ban, which has been law since 2019.

Warren Mabee, director of the Queen’s University Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy, said the possible MOU would be a “policy document” of sorts that’s subject to change and non-binding, but nonetheless significant.

“The fact that … the prime minister is

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