By Korie Marshall
Kinder Morgan announced Dec. 16 it has filed its facilities application with the National Energy Board to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
Kinder Morgan’s plans to install a second, larger pipeline along the 60-year-old Trans Mountain route from Edmonton to Burnaby will almost triple capacity from about 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day.
Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada said in a press conference he believes Kinder Morgan will fully satisfy BC Premier Christy Clark’s five conditions. Clark announced earlier this year the five minimum conditions under which her government would consider supporting a heavy oil pipeline across the province, including the fifth condition of the province receiving a fair share of the economic benefits of the project. Anderson says his company’s focus has been around meeting conditions one through four, dealing with environmental review, spill response and prevention, and legal requirements around First Nations treaty rights. He says the benefit to BC is through achieving those conditions, and then letting “industry and the province further their conversation around condition five.”
The National Energy Board’s review of the application, which Anderson says at eight volumes is probably the largest the Energy Board has ever received, may take some months. If the Energy Board deems the application complete, it will schedule a public hearing process. In the meantime, Anderson says Kinder Morgan will continue work on engaging the public, planning the pipeline route, and furthering agreements with affected First Nations. The full application, including the environmental and socio-economic assessment, risk assessments and an overview of the Aboriginal and stakeholder engagement carried out by Kinder Morgan, is posted on Trans Mountain’s newly revamped website, and Anderson says summaries of each section will be posted as they become available.
For more information about the NEB’s hearing process and how you may be able to participate, contact Reny Chakkalakal, NEB Process Advisor, at [email protected] or 1-800-899-1265.
