Alberta finally has its pipeline to tidewater.
Early last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain has been given cabinet’s blessing, pending the company meets or exceeds all 157 of the binding conditions set out by the National Energy Board (NEB). In the same announcement the government officially put an end to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline project. An announcement many area residents were disappointed over as loss of many well paid construction jobs, as part of the pipeline’s route came within 30 minutes of Barrhead.
The question now is will Kinder Morgan actually take the ball and run with it?
As a former B.C.er, I more than understand why many British Columbians are opposing the project. However, as an Albertan I understand how important the oil industry is not only to the province, but Barrhead. While the Trans Mountain pipeline’s route isn’t as close and there isn’t a lot of oil activity in our immediate area, many of our residents work or have worked in the oil patch and are feeling the devastating affects of the downturn the industry.
Let’s face it, oil is a dangerous, but necessary, product to harvest, process and ship and overcoming negative public opinion in areas where the pipelines will have to go through is a major challenge.
Premier Notley has done, in my opinion and many of the major players in the energy industry, a respectable job through the province’s Climate Leadership Plan of doing what they can in swaying opinion, both at home and on the world stage, but they can only do so much.
Now it is time for the oil companies, in this case Kinder Morgan, to step up to the plate and actually complete, in a timely fashion, the conditions listed by the NEB.
Among the more notable requirements are protection plans for marine mammals, caribou and grizzly, as well as for old-growth forest and wetlands, enhanced tug escorts of oil tankers through Burrard Inlet as well as enhanced oil spill response.
For the latter Kinder Morgan has said it will spend $150 million to beef up response from the industry-funded Western Canada Marine Response Corp. that will help build new bases, boats and add 115 staff.
However, perhaps the most important of all the conditions is the requirement to file updated risk-analysis of the expanded tanker farm at Burnaby and spell out how it will detect leaks.
Depending on whose data you use, since 1958, there have been between 78 and 82 spills along the pipeline, including 28 with undetermined locations. Since purchasing the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2005, Kinder Morgan has been responsible for four major spills, spilling over three million litres of oil.
So the ball is now is in Kinder Morgan’s court. If the pipeline fails to materialize, let’s make sure we put the blame where it belongs.
