The provincial government will not support the expansion of the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline, which runs through Langley.
On Monday, Langley MLA and Environment Minister Mary Polak announced that the pipeline company has not provided enough information on a spill response plan.
“Because of this the province is unable to support the project at this time, based on the evidence submitted,” said a provincial announcement.
The province will not be making the final decision on whether or not the pipeline is built. The National Energy Board (NEB) is holding hearings on the plan.
Kinder Morgan wants to almost triple the capacity of its Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs from Norther Alberta to a refinery in Burnaby.
The firm also plans to move the entire pipeline in several locations, including sections near Fort Langley and Walnut Grove.
Those proposals have drawn a significant amount of local opposition from environmentalists, members of the Kwantlen First Nation, and some local farmers.
The provincial government asked for detailed information on spill planning and preparedness, according to the province’s submission to the NEB.
However, emergency management programs given to the province were “heavily redacted” and Kinder Morgan did not pass along enough information “in a timely and effective manner” said the submission.
Land- and water-based spill response were among the five key requirements the province has asked for from oil companies looking to build or expand pipelines.
The lack of information from Kinder Morgan has also been an issue for Langley Township. A year ago, in January 2015, the Township complained that it had sent 19 questions to Kinder Morgan and hadn’t received a satisfactory response.
– more to come
