Burnaby residents concerned about Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion plan may have their say, now that the National Energy Board has announced that funding will be available to help people participate in the regulatory process.
Kinder Morgan, which plans to twin the Trans Mountain pipeline, is expected to apply to the board for project approval in late 2013.
The money is part of the National Energy Board's participant funding program, which helps aboriginal groups, landowners, not-for-profits, people who live close to the project and other interested parties to participate in the regulatory process, but they must apply and be approved by the board before they can weigh in on the hearing.
Interested parties can apply to write a letter of comment or be intervenors. (Letters of comment are for people wishing to share their views without fully participating in the hearing, while intervenors can present evidence for their arguments.) Only those accepted by the board as intervenors are eligible for the funding, which must be used to prepare for and participate in the hearing process. The funding can be used to cover travel expenses and the cost of hiring experts.
The board recommends people apply to the program as soon as possible in order to start planning, as money will only be awarded for hearing-related activities after the funding application is approved.
For more information, go to www.neb-one.gc.ca, and click on Hearings and Information Sessions, and then select Participate in a Public Hearing.
