This week the province delivered a swift uppercut to Kinder Morgan’s plan for a pipeline expansion ending at Burrard Inlet.
According to B.C., there’s little evidence proper oil spill prevention or response plans are in place. Oh, and based on past records, those that have been provided shouldn’t necessarily be believed.
Despite the combative tone of the province’s argument, Environment Minister Mary Polak stressed the door is still open for B.C.’s opinion to change.
Meanwhile, the submission makes for fascinating reading – particularly as many criticisms of the proposal put forward by environmentalists, municipalities and First Nations are echoed and detailed here.
When it comes to walking its talk on oil spills, the province concludes, the pipeline company’s record leaves a lot to be desired. But B.C. isn’t the government holding the cards on the project – this is up to Ottawa.
Kinder Morgan presents one of the first serious tests for the new Trudeau government. During the campaign, Trudeau spoke a lot of the need to revamp the NEB process. So far that hasn’t happened. But waiting until after a huge, controversial project has been approved before doing that simply doesn’t make sense.
Trudeau’s own promises about projects needing “social licence” – in short supply in B.C. these days – will also be up for examination.
Into this boiling cauldron throw the plummeting price of oil, which could alternately be taken as a call for Canada to shore up its faltering oil industry or an indication the market for the pipeline is evaporating.
All will be in play as the next act in this long-running saga gets underway.
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