In the Face of challenges, the fate of the oil pipeline of Trans Mountain remains uncertain

AFP

Thursday, 19 October 2017 01:23

UPDATE
Thursday, 19 October 2017 01:23

Look at this article

The fate of an oil pipeline controversial, aimed at bringing more oil from Alberta’s oil sands to the outskirts of Vancouver for export to Asia, is the focus of an intense legal battle in the canadian West.

Two courts must decide on the project to the us company Kinder Morgan, who wants to go from 300 000 to 890 000 barrels per day the capacity of its oil pipeline of Trans Mountain.

Their decisions will have a major impact on Canada’s oil industry, in particular on its ability to significantly increase its exports to Asia.

“These lawsuits represent the greatest threat to the project, Trans Mountain “, explains to the AFP George Hoberg, a specialist in environmental policy and natural resources at the University of British Columbia: “If the federal Court of appeal cancels the permit authorizing the project, that sound is likely the death knell for the pipeline “.

Outside of the courts, native americans, environmentalists and other opponents anticipate the worst: that the license be maintained.

In the waters of the bay of Vancouver, they have recently organized a ” camp of resistance to the pipeline “. Activists of Greenpeace, to board kayaks, are viewed as providing advice to prevent the movement of oil tankers.

Black tide and orcs

The construction of new oil pipelines, while oil production from Alberta’s oil sands is steadily increasing, is controversial in Canada.

In the Face of challenges, the company TransCanada, developer of the pipeline giant Keystone XL to link the oil deposits of Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico from the United States, has abandoned this autumn, another project of $ 15.7 billion canadian dollars between this province from the West and the atlantic coast of Canada.

The expansion of the Trans Mountain should be largely along the existing oil pipeline, about a thousand kilometres between Edmonton, capital of Alberta, and Burnaby, British Columbia, in the suburbs of Vancouver, on the Pacific ocean.

During hearings held until the last week before the federal Court of appeal, the national energy Board, the regulator of the sector, has had to defend accusations that it has not taken into account all the implications of the project before approving it.

The petroleum and the government of Prime minister Justin Trudeau, a supporter of the project, have argued that the pipeline is in the national interest, in addition to satisfying the environmental criteria. It is also, according to them, the guarantee of thousands of jobs.

Conversely, the opponents, led by the social democratic government came to power this summer in British Columbia, have relied on the risks of oil spill, with the increase of maritime traffic, and its consequences on the populations of killer whales in the Pacific, a threatened species.

Squamish first nation

They have also asked for a re-evaluation of the emission of greenhouse gases of the project, which is now a criterion in the evaluation of the pipeline, as Canada has committed since the approval of the pipeline to reduce its emissions in the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate (COP21).

Another lawsuit against the project is committed as soon as next week before the supreme Court of British Columbia. This time, the Squamish First nation will ask the province to revoke the permit that the previous conservative government local had granted to Kinder Morgan. It submits that it has not been duly consulted in the framework of the project, as required by the approval process.

After these hearings, the two courts are likely to prolong the suspense on their decisions for several months. And whatever their decisions, the battle would continue until the supreme Court of Canada.

If the justice eventually allow the project, his opponents promise to engage in a battle of all times against the pipeline.

“I have never participated in an activity of civil disobedience of my life, but I will fight against Kinder Morgan “, promises Adrianne Carr, a member of the Vancouver city council.

George Hoberg predicted that “if the legal challenge was not a result of the pipeline, will follow an intense opposition movement on the ground, with the image of Standing Rock in the United States” last year for a similar project.