A4 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 THE TIMES
Few flow in for pipeline session Better spill protection
Next on tap: aquifer protection CHRISTINA TOTH CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com
Abbotsford – one possibility may be to take the pipeline through the Ledgeview Golf Course and rowds were sparse at the further north of the existing line, three-hour Trans Moun- Johannesson said. tain Pipeline ( TMP) A team of land agents are information session at Straiton reviewing potential pipeline Community Hall Thursday night, routes and in early 2013 will begin where about 60 people in total approaching Fraser Valley land came to learn owners to get permore about the First reported @ mission to survey. company’s pro- abbotsfordtimes.com But before it goes posed pipeline to the National Enertwinning plans. gy Board in late 2013 for approval, The oil transportation com- the company must hold series of pany, operated by Kinder Morgan consultations with communities Canada and U.S.-based Kinder and First Nations, conduct enviMorgan Energy Partners, wants ronmental, socio-economic and to increase its carrying capacity land surveys, and talk to local from its current 300,000 barrels governments and other stakeper day to 750,000 bpd. holders, said Johannesson. TMP If approved the $4.1 billion has several teams overseeing difproject would add 900 kilome- ferent aspects of the project, such tres of pipe along TMP’s current as wetlands or local regulations. 1,150-km route that runs from Greg Toth, Trans Mountain Edmonton through the Fraser manager of the expansion projValley to Burnaby. ect, said public feedback from Tank terminal and pump sta- this first round of hearings will tions like the one on Sumas inform the next round of inforMountain and on Sumas Prairie mation meetings, in which the at McDermott Road would also company will address specific be upgraded. concerns in more detail. The existing line will remain, One issue is the safety of the but new pipe may have to take Sumas aquifer, should a signifianother route to skirt urban cant pipeline leak occur – that development that has grown up should be addressed in the next around it over the past 60 years, level of public meetings, said said Carey Johannesson, regu- TMP spokeswoman Lexa Hobenlatory and land lead for Kinder shield. Morgan Canada. The NEB will be watching to “We know the existing pipe- see if the public’s concerns are line goes through some heavily addressed, said Johannesson. populated areas. We’re looking at “We’ll have to provide facts to each of the communities to see the NEB and they’ll have to gauge where we can go, if there is a util- whether or not we did enough,” ity corridor,” or along roadways, said Johannesson. he said. The TMP team of about 20 One such built-up area is the TMP engineers and other experts Sandy Hill neighbourhood in wearing green jackets were also at
CHRISTINA TOTH CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com
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rans Mountain Pipeline has improved its procedures and equipment to avoid the type of embarrassing crude oil leak that occurred at its Sumas Mountain tank terminal in Abbotsford 11 months ago. It’s also setting up an air quality monitor at the tank farm, near the Auguston residential community, and boosted its community notification plan.
“We don’t take these issues lightly.” – George Metcalf TMP
– CHRISTINA TOTH/TIMES
Trans Mountain real estate manager Bob Love (left) explains a point to resident John Rennie at the TM pipeline information meeting Nov. 29. Straiton to promote the benefits of the expansion Of the $4.1 billion project, $2.6 billion will be built in B.C. and it will offer labour and ancillary contracts plus other economic spin-offs for communities along the route during construction, said Toth. About 3,500 people could be employed during the peak construction period. The new line will result in 35 new full-time jobs in B.C., and $3.6 billion will spent on its operations from 2019 – 2048. In Abbotsford, TMP’s annual property tax will rise to $3 million a year, up from the current $2 million it pays, said Hobenshield – the company will pay more than $2 billion in taxes to all levels of government over the life of the project. However, Yarrow resident
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Michael Hale not impressed with the final employment numbers, or the offer of legacy projects. “That’s very nice, but will a legacy project help when there is a spill?” asked Hale, who is a member of the Fraser Valleybased pipeline opponents group Pipe-Up. Hale came to the information session because he’s concerned about the potential harm to the local aquifer and environment, but the project leads him to ask the “bigger questions,” such as why Canada is expanding its fossil fuel sector at all. To read about the Trans Mountain Pipeline plans, and to send in your questions, concerns or comments, go to transmountain. com/talk. To learn more about pipeline regulations and rights, go to neb-one.gc.ca.
The National Energy Board, the federal regulatory agency for the energy sector, said the TMP’s response time to the Jan. 24 leak was inadequate and standard procedures were not followed. However, the NEB report also said it was satisfied that Trans Mountain’s corrective measures were appropriate to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. “We don’t take these issues lightly,” said George Metcalf, the recently retired director of operations for TMP in Alberta. He was at the company’s pipeline expansion information session at Straiton Community Hall in Abbotsford on Thursday night (Nov. 29). “We made a number of procedural changes and additional changes in the control centre [in Edmonton]. We also had a number of changes on the physical side, in terms of technology, such as heat tracing and the frequency of roof drain maintenance,” he said. There is also improved training new procedures and communications among operators. see PIPELINE, page A18
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On the prowl again.