On Thursday, a local protest drew attention to Kinder Morgan’s activities in Langley, as it continues to prepare for the possibility of twinning the Trans Mountain oil pipeline.
There has been seismic testing on two Langley properties in recent weeks, as part of the company’s preparations. In addition, the company has now confirmed that it wishes to route the new pipeline across the Langley Township-owned Redwoods Golf Course, as it is diverted away from the original pipeline.
Both of these developments have helped a few more Langley residents to focus on the proposed project, which has thus far captured minimal interest in this community. Langley Township has registered as an intervenor in the National Energy Board hearings, and has on several occasions asked for public comments as it prepares its questions.
The protesters believe that the second pipeline should not be built. Among their concerns are increased oil use and the potential for global warming and climate change; the plan to ship crude oil by tanker across the north Pacific Ocean, and the potential for environmental disaster should a ship sink or be grounded along the coast; and lack of support for the project from local First Nations, who as a result of both the constitution and numerous court victories have far more say over this project than they did when the original pipeline was built in 1953.
An additional factor that has yet to be addressed by Kinder Morgan is the falling price of oil. Is this type of project viable when oil prices are less than half what they were a year ago? It has already been made clear that many Alberta oilsands project are not viable if oil prices are below $50 a barrel.
While this dip in prices may be temporary, no one knows for sure where the prices will be in one, three or five years. Given that building the pipeline is a very costly capital project, Kinder Morgan must at the very least be crunching numbers and keeping a sharp eye on prices.
For the foreseeable future, there is a need to move oil to the B.C. coast — either as crude oil for refineries in B.C. and Washington state, or as refined product. There simply are not enough viable alternate energy sources at this time.
But in the longer term, it seems quite likely that there will be a significant lessening of demand for oil within North America. People are already consuming less fuel per capita, and electric and hybrid cars are beginning to make an impact. Exports of crude are another quite separate issue.
Langley residents would do well to give more thought to the proposed pipeline, and its varied costs and benefits.
