By Sven Biggs. The Province of BC issued an Environmental Certificate for the Kinder Morgan Pipeline. This was the key provincial permit that was required for the pipeline to proceed. By approving this pipeline, Premier Clark has gone against the wishes of hundreds of thousands of British Columbians.
“With today’s decision Premier Clark and her government have betrayed people from across British Columbia,” said Sven Biggs, Energy and Climate Campaigner for Stand.earth. “This was Christy Clark’s opportunity to defend our coast — and she chose a Texas oil company over the well-being of her own province.”
The Clark Government defends their decision by claiming the pipeline has met the province’s “Five Conditions” on heavy oil pipelines. However, this is disputed by economists, First Nations leaders, and environmentalists.
“The simple fact is that this project has failed at least three of Christy Clark’s own ‘Five Conditions’ There is no way to safely clean up a spill of this type of oil, at least 59 First Nations are opposed to this pipeline, and the economic risks outweigh the rewards,” said Karen Mahon National Director of Stand.earth. “I don’t know how the Premier plans to look BC voters in the eye and tell them that today’s decision was in their best interest.”
“Furthermore the 37 conditions added by the province do little to protect the public” said Mahon. “For example requiring another study into whether or not dilbit sinks will do little to reassure anyone that it safe to allow massive increases in oil tanker traffic in BC’s waters.”
“We expect that today’s decision on the Kinder Morgan pipeline will come back to haunt Premier Clark when BC voters go to the polls,” said Biggs. “British Columbians will continue to fight this decision in the courts and on the streets well past next spring’s election.”