A spokesperson with the advocacy group Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) questions whether four months is enough additional time to review the energy company’s plan to twin its Trans Mountain oil pipeline.

Karl Perrin was referring to the extra time the federal government plans to take in order to assess the climate impacts of the $5.4-billion project and hold further consultations with First Nations. Instead of August 2016, a December decision is expected.

According to Perrin, the four-month extension may not be sufficient for scientific information to be available.

The City of Vancouver is presenting a summary of its arguments against the project in Calgary on Friday (February 5), the last day of hearings by the National Energy Board (NEB). The board will submit its recommendations to the federal cabinet in May.

Vancouver city councillor Adriane Carr maintained that the four-month extension doesn’t address concerns that the NEB process is faulty, telling the Straight by phone: “It’s flawed to think that you can make a decision based on a process which itself is flawed.”