Trans Mountain Looks to Realign Part of Planned Pipeline
Prince George, B.C. – While the Province of B.C. develops its legal case in the ongoing battle over the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, the National Energy Board is moving forward with plans for hearings on a realignment of part of that line.
The National Energy Board (NEB) will hold a route realignment hearing in Chilliwack in early 2018, to review a proposal by Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC to relocate nearly two kilometres of the previously approved general pipeline corridor within the city.
If approved, the Chilliwack Realignment see 1.8 kms of line moved out of a BC Hydro corridor, to the existing Trans Mountain pipeline right of way.
The Chilliwack Realignment hearing will examine the proposed alternate route, including the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the realignment.
Applications to participate are available now on the NEB’s website. The deadline to apply to participate is September 21, 2017.
The expansion project will also be the subject of detailed route hearings in November and December of this year in Alberta, where two of the seven segments of the line are located. Hearings on the remaining five segments, which are all located in B.C, will be held in the new year.
The detailed route hearings are to determine the exact location of the new pipeline .
The overall project was approved by the Federal Government late last year but there are more than 150 conditions attached to that approval.
Comments
That realignment hearing in Chilliwack is in addition to hearings yet to be announced on the route as a whole. Crazy thing about this realignment is that residents have been opposing the route because it runs across the aquifer Chilliwack uses for drinking water and right past community wells, and now the company has applied to the NEB for a route change that would put the new pipeline even closer to City wells.
Interesting to note that on their “Protecting the Chilliwack Aquifer” flier from some months ago Kinder Morgan said “Chilliwack residents have let us know they care….” It does not say Kinder Morgan cares.
Let’s see the pipeline has been there for over fifty years.
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