Fraser Valley -JANUARY 17 UPDATE (With files from Financial Post/WaterWealth Project) – As the NEB hearings for the Kinder Morgan – Trans Mountain Pipeline continue in Chilliwack, As expected, the groups against the pipeline, the WaterWealth Project continues to raise their red flags over possible and potential damage to the Chilliwack Aquifer. This has been the bone of contention from WaterWealth as well as Sto:lo Nation and the City of Chilliwack.
Also under the microscope is the BC Hydro Route Realignment which on a map looks like this (along Watson Road):
Meanwhile the Financial Post is warning that the entire project, from Edmonton through BC, the Fraser Valley and onto the Burnaby refinery, could be delayed , at least, for one year.
The $7.4 billion project, which will carry 590,000 barrels of oil per day, was to be in service by late 2019, but now is targeting December 2020 for start-up. The Financial Post points to delays with the process from the NEB, as well as other legal roadblocks set up by a number of groups including the City of Burnaby and various first nations concerns.
The City of Burnaby tried and failed to stall , if not stop, construction permits. The NEB overruled that decision and set a precedent
The Financial Post reported Kinder Morgan has also applied to the NEB to establish a similar process to get necessary permits from other opposed governments.
It has affected the bottom line.
JANUARY 15 ORIGINAL STORY – The Trans Mountain pipeline hearings continue this week in Chilliwack and then onto Burnaby and Calgary.
This weeks’ hearings are January 15-20 at the Coast Chilliwack Hotel.
Information on times can be found here. Follow the links to listen live.
The hearings will focus on the BC Hydro Route Realignment.
The City of Chilliwack, the WaterWealth Project and Sto:lo Nation are all filing as an intervenor. The concern especially for WaterWeath, is that the pipeline will run through the Chilliwack Aquifer. Also the City and WaterWealth have lobbied for the pipeline route to be moved to the Highway 1 corridor. That plan has already been nixed.
Even with NEB approval to this point, it is still not a slam dunk that the pipeline construction will remain on schedule, and that it could be held up in committee and litigation for quite some time.
