The expansion of the Kinder Morgan tanker facility in Burnaby and twinning of its oil pipeline through B.C. could be an opportunity to enhance the ecosystem in Burrard Inlet and improve habitat for herring and squid as well as utilize best practices for oil containment in the event of a spill, according to Ralph Drew.
But the Belcarra mayor says the company isn't doing enough to address local concerns about its proposal to boost the capacity of its oil pipeline and enlarge its facility to hold more tankers.
"The time to address issues is when you are putting shape to the application," Drew said. "That is why I've been focusing on the dialogue and that's why I've been trying to put shape to things. A lot of the debate has been focused on the pipeline - nobody's talking about that terminal on Burrard Inlet. I'm trying to speak up on Burrard Inlet."
On Thursday, Metro Vancouver's environment and parks committee is expected to consider Drew's concerns with the idea of asking the National Energy Board to put them on its list of issues to review when it examines Kinder Morgan's formal application. (Also on Thursday, Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson is expected to address the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce on the local economic benefits of the project.)
MORE TRANSPARENCY
According to Drew, Kinder Morgan hasn't been forthcoming about what it learned from a spill on land in 2007, when construction workers pierced a pipeline, releasing more than 250,000 litres of crude oil into a Burnaby neighbourhood, some of it flowing into Burrard Inlet. Among the questions raised, he said, are the appropriateness of the containment booms the company used and why it took so long for the spill response team to arrive on the scene.
On the day of the spill, he pointed out, researcher Rod MacVicar was at the scene because of concerns the oil might endanger a sea lion research project and arrived before the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, and photos he took showed gaps in the boom and oil containment.
Kinder Morgan refutes those claims and states that while some oil eluded capture early because of the shoreline conditions, aerial photographs show it was mostly contained. As well, the company stated in letters to Drew that it has since participated in several reviews of the spill and has improved its emergency response, even establishing a pipeline protection department.
DUE DILIGENCE PROMISED
"In regards to the 2007 spill, Trans Mountain spent a significant amount of resources towards ensuring successful cleanup, environmental remediation and community restoration," the company stated in an email to The Tri-City News. "In 2010, the B.C. Ministry of Environment issued certificates of compliance indicating satisfactory cleanup. All environmental issues have been addressed and long-term monitoring continues."
The company will also look at the impacts of the project on the marine environment, as part of its due diligence for the project, and will come up with a detailed mitigation plan.
But Drew said that's not enough and is calling for the company to do some legacy projects to improve the marine environment for wildlife.
"It comes down to this, from Belcarra's perspective, they've got to do it right and they've got to walk the talk and we, as a community surrounding Burrard Inlet, need to ensure the best available technologies are utilized.
Ship noise and lights, are among his other concerns.
Kinder Morgan is expected to formally seek permission to increase its oil pipeline capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels a day, expand its tank farm and enlarge its tanker loading facilities in a $5.4-billion project that would, if approved, begin operation in 2017.
More information about the project is available at www.transmountain.com/proposed-expansion.
