Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline finally gets provincial government approval after meeting five requirements from BC.

　　FX168 Finance (North America) reported that despite opposition from some parties and the public, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark announced today (January 12th) in Victoria that the five conditions for approving the Trans Mountain pipeline have been met. Earlier today, the provincial government granted environmental approval for the pipeline.

　　Kinder Morgan's $6.8 billion pipeline expansion project first received approval from the National Energy Board with 157 conditions. The Canadian federal government then approved the project at the end of 2016.

　　Last month, Clark indicated that British Columbia's five conditions were nearing fulfillment. She stated that the provincial government was negotiating with Ottawa on oil spill response plans and profit sharing with Kinder Morgan, asserting that British Columbia should receive a return commensurate with the risks associated with pipeline construction and increased tanker traffic. The pipeline expansion will triple the capacity of the existing Edmonton-to-Burnaby pipeline, and tanker port throughput will increase sevenfold.

　　In addition to meeting the National Energy Board's 157 conditions, provincial approval required 37 specific conditions, including consulting with Indigenous communities, developing species protection plans, and a plan to monitor the project's impact on grizzly bear ecology. The government also wants research on the impact and cleanup of oil spills in freshwater and marine aquatic environments to provide spill responders with pollution response solutions.

　　The BC Supreme Court required the province to conduct an independent environmental assessment, rather than relying on the National Energy Board's environmental assessment process. In a press release, BC Environment Minister Mary Polak and Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman acknowledged that the energy sector has primary responsibility for ensuring the project is developed, constructed, and operated safely and reliably. Relevant personnel will issue their decision on the project this month, as required by the Supreme Court.