The Trudeau government has announced new rules for assessing major resource projects such as pipelines.

For the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline it means extending the deadline to the end of this year while Energy East has been extended to the middle of 2018.

Foothills M.P. John Barlow says it's further proof the new Liberal government just doesn't understand how damaging the delays have been to Albertans.

"Further delaying extensive consultations that have already taken place doesn nothing but further hamstring our oil and gas industry and gas resource sector in Alberta ," Barlow says. "What's been announced today (Wednesday) is just adding further delays to these projects."

The five changes put forward include:
1.     No project proponent will be asked to return to the starting line — project reviews will continue within the current legislative framework and in accordance with treaty provisions, under the auspices of relevant responsible     authorities and Northern regulatory boards;
2.     Decisions will be based on science, traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples and other relevant evidence;
3.     The views of the public and affected communities will be sought and considered;
4.     Indigenous peoples will be meaningfully consulted, and where appropriate, impacts on their rights and interests will be accommodated; and
5.     Direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions linked to the projects under review will be assessed.

Barlow says he is glad that neither of the projects have to go back to the starting line which would have meant even further delays.

He says this is just a temporary band-aid solution with the real plan yet to come.

Barlow says the National Energy Board already deals with many of the issues addressed by Wednesday's announcement.