Canada NewsOttawa moves to list Alberta-backed West Coast pipeline as national interest projectPipeline in 'national interest'Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announce a proposed pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd KorolThe federal government is advancing the process to designate a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast as a "national interest" project. Naming a project in the national interest under the Building Canada Act allows the government to fast-track approvals and skirt some environmental laws. A notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1 sets a Sept. 18 deadline to submit comments on the national interest designation. The proposed pipeline has been referred already to the government's major projects office, with the Alberta government listed as the proponent.