Burnaby's mayor and a local MP will have a say at a National Energy Board hearing, as the local Chevron refinery pleads its case for priority access to oil coming down Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline.
Chevron applied to the National Energy Board for priority access in July. The move is an attempt to secure a more steady supply of oil from the pipeline amidst rising demand.
On Wednesday, the National Energy Board released a list of applicants who were given intervenor status for the hearing, which is set for January.
"It's all part of the process, Jennifer. Interested parties can participate in a filing like this," said Chevron's Ray Lord. "An intervenor simply means they become officially engaged in the process."
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Burnaby-Douglas MP Kennedy Stewart have been granted intervenor status. (Neither were available for immediate comment on Wednesday.) Various oil and gas companies are allowed to intervene, including Shell, Suncor and the Trans Mountain Pipeline. The Alberta Energy Department and B.C.'s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas are also intervening.
Lord said that the information exchange process now begins, with intervenors asking questions and Chevron responding, all leading up to the Jan. 15 hearing in Calgary.
"It's very important to the refinery that this be heard, and we are looking forward to participating constructively in the process," Lord said. "We have participated in these kinds of things before. It's not the first time. For a user of the pipeline, this is how it's done."
