Ministry of Environment
VICTORIA – As part of its ongoing representation of British Columbia’s interests, the Province has submitted more than 70 information requests to Kinder Morgan on the Trans Mountain Expansion project. The information requests deal with maritime and land-based spill systems.
“We are using the information request process to better understand Kinder Morgan’s plans for implementing marine and land oil spill response, prevention and recovery systems,” said Environment Minister Mary Polak. “We are asking the company to provide more detail than is contained in their application so that we can continue our analysis of the extent to which they will deliver the world-class systems that we require.”
Provincial experts have been reviewing Kinder Morgan’s application since it was submitted to the National Energy Board in December 2013.
The Province’s information requests cover areas such as spill response planning, capacity and standards, tanker requirements, personnel and training and the company’s emergency management program.
B.C. has established five key requirements that must be met before the Province will consider support of any heavy oil pipeline. Those are:
• Successful completion of the environmental review process;
• World-leading marine oil spill response, prevention and recovery systems for B.C.’s coastline and ocean to manage and mitigate the risks and costs of heavy-oil pipelines and shipments;
• World-leading practices for land oil spill prevention, response and recovery systems to manage and mitigate the risks and costs of heavy-oil pipelines;
• Legal requirements regarding Aboriginal and treaty rights are addressed, and First Nations are provided with the opportunities, information and resources necessary to participate in and benefit from a heavy-oil project; and
• British Columbia receives a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of a proposed heavy-oil project that reflects the level, degree and nature of the risk borne by the province, the environment and taxpayers.
The Province will review the responses that Kinder Morgan provides as part of its preparation for the argument phase of the hearings, currently set for February 2015.
“By participating actively in the National Energy Board review, we are working to ensure that this project, should it proceed, meets the highest standards of environmental protection and protects British Columbians from environmental and financial risk,” Polak said.
