A reader from the Gulf Islands dropped me a line to mention that Don Young is leaving the National Energy Board.
Don was one of the three panel members tasked with reviewing the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion application. You may remember him from the story we did earlier this year, when the panel when they visited the Lower Mainland. It's very rare for the NEB members to talk to media.
I'm told Don resigned from the NEB for personal reasons, effective Monday.
I couldn't get him on the phone, but Sarah Kiley at the NEB assured me the resignation was simply for personal reasons and nothing scandalous or political. It sounds like he just wants to be closer to his family, which is down in the states.
So Phil Davies, another NEB member, will replace Don on the Kinder Morgan panel.
Phil has more of an oil and gas/lawyer background. (You can read all their bios on the NEB site.)
The reader who emailed me about this pointed out that Don was the only panel member with an environmental background (Don used to work with Golder Associates and Ducks Unlimited), so I mentioned this to Sarah, and here's what she said:
"The interesting thing about the NEB is board members have range of different backgrounds, ... but they are also supported by a broad, well educated very thoughtful staff, and we have a considerable number of environmental experts on staff, and they will be looking at this application very carefully."
So basically, whatever the panel members don't know about, they can ask staff.
Here are a couple of other important updates on the Kinder Morgan pipeline front:
- The NEB hearing will be in January 2015, and but First Nations traditional input will happen in December 2014. This includes knowledge from aboriginal groups that is oral in nature.
- Kinder Morgan is hosting an open house on the routing process tonight. Don't forget to check that out if you want the latest info from them. I can't make it, but I will check in afterwards to see how it went.
- The city is hosting two public info sessions to gather feedback from residents on the pipeline issue. The first is next Wednesday, April 9, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Forest Grove Elementary (8525 Forest Grove Dr.), April 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Westridge Elementary School (510 Duncan Ave.) Remember, the city is adamantly opposed to the pipeline, so these meetings will be focused on the city's position.
- April 12 is the "people's procession" against the pipeline. The procession includes a march and flotilla down on the Burrard Inlet.
