With the Kinder Morgan hearings about to start in Burnaby, pipeline opponents are setting their sights on the National Energy Board.
Activists are planning several events tied to the hearings. On Monday, Jan. 18, a group went to the NEB’s office in downtown Vancouver to demand an overhaul to the hearing process.
Two people chained themselves to the front door of the building, blocking the entrance, according to NEB spokesperson Tara O’Donovan, but there were other ways to get in and out of the building. The NEB offered to meet with 350.org, one of the organizations coordinating some of the actions, but the group declined, O’Donovan said. Cameron Fenton of 350.org said his organization is considering meeting with the NEB in the future.
Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion is organizing a march and rally for Tuesday, Jan. 19 to mark the start of the NEB hearings in Burnaby. The hearings take place at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre and run until Feb. 5. Activists are also planning to keep a constant presence outside of the sessions, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. The NEB will be broadcasting the hearings online, but the general public will not be allowed to attend. ForestEthics is also organizing a rally this Saturday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, police arrested seven activists on Monday, after they boarded Kinder Morgan’s drilling barge on the Burrard Inlet, close to the Westridge Marine Terminal.
