Despite controversy from opposition parties and some members of the public, BC Premier Jane Clark announced today (January 12) in Victoria, the provincial capital, that BC's five requirements for the approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline have been met. Earlier this day the provincial government granted environmental protection approval to the trans-mountain pipeline.

Kinder Morgan's $6.8 billion pipeline extension was the first to receive 157 conditions of approval from Canada's National Energy Board. Then, in late 2016, the Canadian federal government approved the plan.

Just last month, She warned that BC province was close to meeting its five demands. She said the province is in talks with Ottawa on its response to the spill and with Kindell Morgan on how to share the benefits. She said BC deserves a return commensurate with the risk for the pipeline and increased cruise traffic. The extension would triple the capacity of the existing Edmonton to Burnaby pipeline and increase cruise port capacity by seven times.

In addition to meeting the NATIONAL Energy Board's 157 conditions, BC's approval of the project includes 37 specific conditions, including consultation with indigenous communities, a species conservation plan, and a plan to monitor the project's ecological impact on grizzly bears. The provincial government also wants to conduct research on the effects of oil spills and clean-up techniques in freshwater and Marine aquatic environments to provide emergency responders dealing with spills with pollution options.

BC's Supreme Court ordered that the province must conduct an independent environmental assessment and not rely on the EIA process of the National Energy Board. Mary Polak, BC Environment Minister, and Rich Coleman, BC Natural Gas Development Minister, acknowledged in a press release that the energy sector has the primary responsibility for ensuring that projects are developed, built and operated in a safe and reliable manner. Officials will issue their decision on the project later this month, following a request from the provincial Supreme Court.