The Tri-City MP who broke party ranks by speaking out against the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion said he accepts the decision made by the prime minister and cabinet this week.
Liberal MP Ron McKinnon (Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam) said although he is disappointed, he believes much thought was put into the decision to move the project forward "in the national interest."
Now, he wants to see the 157 conditions and 49 environmental requirements — as imposed by the National Energy Board last May — strictly enforced to protect the environment and safety.
McKinnon said measures are currently being put in place to give him confidence, citing a pan-Canadian price on carbon pollution, a commitment to reduce federal government emissions by 40% by 2030, major reductions in coal power generation "and many other initiatives to foster green technology and a green economy and encourage a swift transition away from our dependence on fossil fuels," he said. "Taken altogether, I believe all Canadians can be optimistic."
Two weeks ago, McKinnon joined the chorus of Metro Vancouver politicians wanting to stop the proposal.
In a letter to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, and shared widely with his Liberal colleagues and the media, the rookie MP said the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion should be denied because the government “lacks social licence” to proceed with the project.
Noting that his constituents understand the need for pipelines to move oil from Alberta, McKinnon said the worry is that the health, environmental and social costs of a spill in such a populated area are “far too great to allow this project to proceed.”
As well, he noted, B.C. would shoulder the overwhelming burden of the benefits flowing to the Alberta from the pipeline expansion, possibly jeopardizing industries such as fisheries, tourism and recreation.
“The disadvantages of this project far exceed any advantage for British Columbia,” he wrote.
There will be some benefits from the line, with Coquitlam collecting about $400,000 a year for 7 km of new pipeline, Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson told the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.
