Langley Township is not satisfied with responses it has received from Kinder Morgan to a number of questions about the proposed twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
As a result, the Township filed a notice of motion on Friday, July 4 with the National Energy Board, asking that the board force the pipeline company to provide answers. The Township is an intervener in the NEB hearings on the proposal.
Mayor Jack Froese explained that the Township wants clear answers to its questions, because a second round of questioning is coming up, and it cannot ask follow-up questions without more information. One topic it has not received a clear answer on is whether Kinder Morgan would be willing to put the pipeline deeper in the ground, so the Township would not incur costs in the future as municipal services are expanded, explained Roeland Zwaag, director of public works.
Zwaag said the Township questions of Kinder Morgan can be categorized as questions about the environmental and socio-economic effects of the pipeline; suitability of the design and location; and potential impacts on landowners and land users.
The second round of questioning takes place inbhgn September, so there is some urgency about getting clarity in the answers, Froese said.
“If we don’t get answers to these questions, it is difficult to prepare for the next session,” he said. “Some answers have not been satisfactory, and some questions have not been answered at all.”
Froese emphasized that Langley Township council is neutral towards the pipeline project, unlike Burnaby, which has also complained that its questions have not been answered properly. Burnaby is formally opposed to the pipeline twinning project, the mayor refuses to meet with Kinder Morgan representatives and city staff have been instructed not to communicate with Kinder Morgan.
For details of the questions asked by the Township, see https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll?func=ll&objId=2453652&objAction=browse.
For Kinder Morgan’s responses, see https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll?func=ll&objId=2480642&objAction=browse.
