Pipe Down, Will Ya?
The Kinder Morgan proposed new Trans Mountain pipeline poses major environmental, health, and economic risks to British Columbia and should not be allowed to continue.
Since 1953, the Trans Mountain pipeline owned by the BC Gas Company was originally built to provide British Columbia oil and natural gas from Edmonton, travelling through Burnaby. In 2005, an American company, Kinder Morgan purchased the BC Gas Company, and began using the pipeline not only to carry conventional crude oil from Alberta, but also a new eroding oil, diluted bitumen. The Kinder Morgan proposal is to expand the existing Trans Mountain pipeline by creating a dual-line pipeline, to increase the amount of oil being transported to 890,000 barrels per day, from the current 300,000. The current route of the pipeline is through numerous communities such as Burnaby, Kamloops, and Sumas, as well as through 15 First Nations communities and other towns. Construction for land surveys have began in Burnaby and involve drilling into the territory, which has lead to constant protests from environmental and community interests groups about the dangerous risks of the proposed pipeline.
The dilute bitumen that the Kinder Morgan pipeline proposes to carry especially is a high security risk. Diluted bitumen is understood to hold highly unstable substances including benzene, which is a known poison. When in salt water, diluted bitumen sinks and mixes with sediments. According to a report conducted by Environment Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources Canada, conventional clean up methods for spills have a “limited effect” on cleaning diluted bitumen. One litre of spilled oil is able to contaminate a million litres of groundwater, as well as leach toxic substances. Diluted bitumen can only be piped properly under high temperatures and pressures, further increasing the risk of pipeline failures. The risk of a major oil spill carrying an extremely volatile substance is a major risk, given the route of the current pipeline.
The current Trans Mountain pipeline not only runs under numerous towns and communities, but also directly under several schools such as Stoney Creek Community School and Lyndhurst Elementary in Burnaby. In addition, the pipeline runs under residential neighbourhoods, close to BC’s coastal waters, and by aquifers supplying drinking water to both Abbotsford and Chilliwack. The exposure of families and children to diluted bitumen would be disastrous, and especially distressing if a leak were to happen by a major water source.
The major risk of the proposed Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline is primarily in the probability of major oil leaks or spillage. Unfortunately, Kinder Morgan has a history of oil leakages and spills, responsible for over seventy spills along the pipeline route since spill reporting in 1961. Oil leaks and spills are a high probability as there are no fail-proof methods to transport oil or diluted bitumen over water. Just last year, in June of 2013, two leaks were discovered on the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, two weeks apart, spilling up to 4000 litres of oil.
In spite of all the major environmental and health risks, expansion of the pipeline does promise some economic benefits. The building of a pipeline and the ensuing tanker traffic would increase some jobs during pipeline construction. The Trans Mountain website projects an increase of $18.5 billion in federal taxes, and an addition of $23.2 million in annual property taxes, “for local governments and reserves along the route”. However, of BC’s overall tax revenues expected for the year, the Trans Mountain pipeline would only contribute 0.7% of corporate tax revenues. In addition, in the event of an oil spill, any economic gain would be quickly erased. Following the 2010 BP Oil spill of more than 200 million gallons of crude oil, significantly hurting the tourism industry. Given the huge fishing industry in British Columbia, a spill would be an economic disaster.
Numerous environmental groups and concerned citizens have protested against the Kinder Morgan pipeline, with even renowned environmentalist David Suzuki taking a stand with his grandson. First Nations groups have protested the construction as well, including Stewart Phillip, the grand chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs for infringing upon traditionally Aboriginal territory.
The Kinder Morgan proposed new Trans Mountain pipeline not only conducts major environmental, health, and economic risks to British Columbia, but also infringes on First Nations and familial communities, posing high risks for citizens with few benefits, and prioritizing minimal economic gain for major ecological losses. As such, construction should not be allowed to continue.