Burnaby North MLA Richard Lee is speaking out on the Kinder Morgan expansion.
Burnaby's lone Liberal reiterated the provincial government's five conditions for Kinder Morgan's proposal to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby.
"Officials from the Ministry of Environment have been reviewing the information that was submitted by Kinder Morgan in its application and have followed up through the National Energy Board process; and they continue to work with the review panel and Kinder Morgan to get the information that is needed," Lee said in a media statement released Wednesday. "Our government's position has not changed. Any heavy oil pipeline project must satisfy the following five conditions before the B.C. government will consider supporting it."
Those conditions are successful completion of the environmental review process, world-leading marine oil spill response plans and world-leading practices for land oil spill prevention. Aboriginal and treaty rights must be addressed, and B.C. must receive a fair share of the economic benefits that reflect the level of risk.
"The Province of British Columbia has intervenor status in the National Energy Board review of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Expansion project and we are actively representing the interests of the people of British Columbia," Lee said. "Our government is committed to ensuring that this project, if it does proceed, meets the highest standards of environmental protection and protects the people of British Columbia from financial and environmental risk."
