The province of British Columbia has given the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion environmental approval. Premier Christy Clark says the project has met the five conditions it set out several years ago.
The project will twin an existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, B-C and was approved by the federal government at the end of November. 157 additional conditions have been laid out by the National Energy Board.
Alberta premier Rachel Notley calls the decision an important step forward in getting this province’s oil to tidewater and breaking the landlock.
“We are closer than ever to breaking our landlock and fixing a problem that has dogged our province for decades. Let’s keep moving forward.”
Despite having both provincial and federal approval, Notley still anticipates there to be opposition to the Kinder Morgan project. However, she believes the debate will have a “moderated tone.”
“There’s going to be demonstrations; there’s going to be legal challenges, no question, but I believe that majority of British Columbians are confident that with the measures that have been taken, we’ve secured significant improvements around marine safety.”
Notley visited Alberta’s neighbours at the end of 2016 and says the people she met with seemed willing to consider the argument that you don’t need to choose between environmental protection and good jobs.