The B.C. government is proposing new restrictions on transporting crude oil 鈥� a decision that could heavily impact Kinder Morgan鈥檚 Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
The proposal, released Tuesday, is part of the province鈥檚 second phase of its oil spill response plan.
Phase two will consider increasing restrictions on diluted bitumen transportation by pipeline or rail, the province said, at least until the 鈥渂ehaviour鈥� of spilled bitumen can be better understood and a response plan can be made.
Bitumen is the main crude product flowing through Kinder Morgan鈥檚 Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to B.C., at the capacity of about 300,000 barrels a day. The $7.4-billion expansion is expected to nearly triple the pipeline鈥檚 daily capacity.
Black Press Media requested comment from Kinder Morgan but has not heard back.
The second phase of the review will also include the creation of an independent scientific advisory panel to further look into how authorities would safely transport and clean up heavy oil in the case of a spill.
The first phase of regulations, established in October, focused on the accountability of pipeline, rail and trucking companies, while the findings from the second phase would also probe response times, compensation for groups affected by a spill, and maximizing regulations for marine spills.
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The proposal, which follows a string of moves by the NDP government to halt the pipeline, prompted Alberta Premier Rachel Notley to take to social media and call it 鈥渦nconstitutional.鈥�
鈥淭he action announced today by the B.C. government can only be seen for what it is: political game-playing,鈥� Notley said in a series of tweets. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a game that could have serious consequences for the jobs and livelihoods of millions of Canadians who count on their governments to behave rationally and within their scope of authority.鈥�
THREAD: And here's AB Premier 's statement.
鈥� Ashley Wadhwani (@ashwadhwani)
Sounds very similar to 'more jobs' argument re: NDP vs Liberals over this federally-approved pipeline
B.C.鈥檚 Environment Minister George Heyman called Notley鈥檚 tactics 鈥渟care-mongering.鈥�
鈥淲e believe we have a right 鈥� and all provinces have a right 鈥� to put in laws in their jurisdictions to protect their values,鈥� Heyman said.
This latest review is based on a 2015 report by the Royal Society of Canada that found heavy forms of bitumen are less likely to break down in water than lighter types of oil, but that more research is needed.
鈥淭he potential for a diluted bitumen spill already poses significant risk to our inland and coastal environment and the thousands of existing tourism and marine harvesting jobs,鈥� Heyman said.
In 2013, then-environment minister Mary Polak led a study on response capabilities in B.C., which included one scenario of a summer-time spill of diluted bitumen in the Juan de Fuca Strait.
The report found that 31 per cent of the spilled oil could be recovered within five days, with the efforts of Canadian and U.S. ships and equipment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e saying that if the Royal Society of Canada says we don鈥檛 have enough knowledge, we should get enough to ensure British Columbians that if there is a spill, we can clean it up,鈥� Heyman said.
The panel will combine research with feedback from First Nations groups and the public before providing a report to the ministry in the coming months. More details on the proposal are expected to be released in February.
Between city bylaws and federal court battles, Kinder Morgan has had plenty of setbacks from its original timeline. In its most recent update in November, the company expected to begin construction in the Lower Mainland by the end of 2018. The project was initialy propsed in 2012.
The National Energey Board is currently hosting hearings, gathering feedback from the public and other stakeholders. Meanwhile, the NDP government is seeking to withdraw its consent for the project.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to Kinder Morgan what they do in the interim,鈥� Heyman said, 鈥渂ut we are telling them what鈥檚 necessary to protect B.C.鈥檚 interests.鈥�
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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