The Editor,
Why are the Tri-Cities left out of the ministerial hearings on Kinder Morgan?
Recently, a new ministerial panel on the Trans Mountain pipeline has been announced, with hearing dates from July to August along the pipeline route, giving those who want to have a say very little time to plan and prepare. The federal panel is tasked with further consulting with the public on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline to assess social licence and will be making half a dozen stops in the Lower Mainland.
But the Tri-Cities have been left out.
The citizens of the Tri-Cities have some very specific concerns and specialized information about the impact of the project on our area. Whether you are for or against the pipeline, you deserve to have your voice heard and potentially impact the decision of whether this project will go ahead.
Many local experts have written in to the National Energy Board (NEB) about the dangers of this pipeline to the Tri-Cities; both Port Moody and Coquitlam were interveners in the NEB process.
Many concerned parties, including the government of B.C. and the official opposition, have said the NEB process is flawed and many residents were denied the opportunity to act as either interveners or commenters, or even attend a hearing.
Residents of the Tri-Cities have been very vocal about the Kinder Morgan pipeline.
Concerned Professional Engineers project a one in 10 chance a spill that could come as far as Port Moody, bringing the public health impacts of the volatile toxic compounds that make up 30% of diluted bitumen into our shared airshed.
Coquitlam city staff have proposed that even without a spill, the increased capital and operating costs of the expanded pipeline will cost the city about $255,000 a year after taxes from the company are considered. Further, the company still plans to use Colony Farm Park as a staging area of pipeline construction before placing a tunnel under the Fraser River, which could disturb the wildlife and ecosystems there, as well as having long-term impacts.
As well, in the original hearings, no one has allowed to talk about climate change, which is a big concern for many Tri-Cities residents.
Though dates have been set for hearing, residents of the North Shore, who were also left out, have successfully lobbied to have a hearing in their area, with support from their MP, so there is a precedent for adding dates.
With public interest, there is a chance we can have a hearing as well, giving us the chance to express our opinions, for or against.
Amy Lubik, Port Moody
