Decision against Northern Gateway project may bolster efforts to stop Trans Mountain twinning

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to send approval for the Northern Gateway pipeline back to Ottawa could also be a turning point for the fight against a more local project.

Related article: Federal Court of Appeal nixes Northern Gateway pipeline project

Opponents of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion hope this affects the federal government’s decision on the pipeline twinning.

The appeals court found the federal government didn’t properly consult First Nations when it gave the Northern Gateway pipeline conditional approval. The new pipeline would transport oilsands product from Alberta to Kitimat.

First Nations opposing the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby are accusing the National Energy Board of failing to properly consult them as well.

Ben West with Tanker Free BC says the federal process behind Trans Mountain is just as flawed or possible worse than what was done for Northern Gateway.

“They’re expected to make a decision in December. There are some meetings that they’ve organized in sort of an ad hoc way along the pipeline route over the summer, but that’s not going to be nearly enough to illustrate that this process has been fixed. There is a process underway to completely rethink the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the processes surrounding that, but in the meantime trying to move ahead with a project as substantial as the Kinder Morgan pipeline I think is going to be very difficult.”

The National Energy Board recommended the Trudeau government approve the Trans Mountain expansion earlier this year.

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