Work will go on at the Trans Mountain tank farm, against the wishes of the City of Burnaby.
On Thursday, the National Energy Board announced it had rejected a request from the municipality to rescind two orders authorizing the pipeline company to relocate and decommission pipes at its Burnaby Mountain facility.
The orders in question allow Trans Mountain to install 1.6 kilometres of new piping and to decommission 1.3 km of pipe.
“The decision enables the company to continue its ongoing work to modify existing piping and related infrastructure within the facility,” reads an NEB statement.
Following the Federal Court of Appeal ruling in August that quashed the federal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, the city asked the NEB to quash the two permits. The municipality argued the work was, in fact, related to the expansion.
“In its decision, the NEB found that the piping modifications at the Burnaby terminal are not associated with the expansion project and that the relocation and decommissioning orders appropriately allow Trans Mountain to optimize the site in preparation to offer new services to shippers,” the statement reads. “The NEB also permitted the company to continue tree clearing as part of the approved works.”
The replacement piping being installed will “improve the integrity of the Burnaby terminal,” according to the NEB.
In a separate letter to the NEB, the City of Burnaby said Trans Mountain has been doing work outside the two standing orders and has been going ahead with the expansion project without permission. The company denied that assertion.
