The two female premiers of western Canadian provinces agreed on Wednesday to a framework that would push through with major oil pipeline projects worth $12 billion being proposed by Enbridge and Kinder Morgan.

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The two projects would involve the transportation of more than one million barrels of oil to Kitimat in northern British Columbia and Burnaby in the Lower Mainland. It is also expected to create thousands of jobs and open up for Alberta new, lucrative markets in Asia.

BC Premier Christy Clark agreed to sign on Alberta Premier Alison Redford's national energy strategy that pushes for provincial cooperation for oil sands energy from Alberto to reach other markets across Canada and overseas.

The deal would satisfy BC's five conditions to support oil pipeline development in the province, although none of the five have been met. BC initially opposed the project over environmental concerns as Ms Clark was skeptical about Alberta's energy strategy for the Northern Gateway pipeline which to the BC coast.

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Besides the environmental impact, BC also sought sharing with Alberta some of the royalties from the oil sands, but Ms Clark said that royalties and taxes did not come up in her discussion with Ms Redford.

Ms Clark said outside a cut in royalties, there are other ways that BC would benefit from the oil pipeline project which an ongoing working group of government representatives from the two Canadian provinces are studying.

With BC's opposition removed, Alberta now has to work also on other groups against the pipeline projects, namely First Nations, green groups and some northern and Lower Mainland municipalities, including Vancouver.

They are against the oil pipeline project because of the higher risk of a tanker oil spill on the BC coast.

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