Burnaby MP Kennedy Stewart says the National Energy Board’s decision to delay to Kinder Morgan pipeline hearing is the “beginning of the end” for the project.
On Tuesday, the NEB announced the hearing would be delayed by roughly seven months because the board needs more information on Kinder Morgan’s latest route preference to drill or tunnel through Burnaby Mountain. That means the final deadline for the board to review the project has moved to Jan. 25, 2016 – after the tentative date for the next federal election, which is Oct. 19, 2015. That leaves the chance for a new party to form government, one that may not be as friendly to pipeline projects.
“A different cabinet would have a different decision on these pipeline projects,” Stewart said. “I don’t think there could be worse news for Kinder Morgan on this. I think it’s the beginning of the end for this pipeline.”
The National Energy Board used to decide whether major oil projects would go through, but the Conservatives changed the rules, so cabinet members now have the final say, and the Tories tightened the review timeline to 15 months.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has said he’s supportive of the pipeline and would like to see it approved. Stewart is opposed to the pipeline, based on what his constituents want, but his party’s position is a bit more complicated. The NDP, according to Stewart, can’t support these oil projects because the review process is flawed, but the party is reticent to comment on particular proposals, like the Kinder Morgan pipeline, until the reviews are completed.
Stewart also pointed to other obstacles the proposed pipeline project is facing, including the opposition of local governments (Burnaby and Vancouver, for example) and First Nations, as well as opposition from local residents in Burnaby.
No one from Kinder Morgan was available for immediate comment.
