BC NDP leader Adrian Dix vowed Wednesday to pull out of the federal government's environmental assessment of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project if his party comes to power next May.

Dix told reporters at a news conference he would set up his own environmental assessment review for the province, adding the current joint review panel does not include any B.C. representatives.

He said this means the federal government would be responsible for making a critical decision that would have big impacts on the province.

"What we need to do, what British Columbia needs to do, is to take responsibility.for provincial jurisdiction."

The federal government has primary jurisdiction over oil pipelines that would cross provincial borders - Northern Gateway would run from Alberta to the West Coast.

But Murray Rankin, a constitutional lawyer who accompanied Dix at the press conference, said legal experts have been looking into what provincial powers can be put into play to stop the project from being approved.

Despite the fact Dix promised to go forward with a provincial environmental review, he said he remains opposed to the Northern Gateway project.

He did not directly answer repeated questions from reporters asking why he would set up an environmental assessment if he did not support the pipeline.