September 30 deadline nears for online feedback on Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion

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      A window will soon close for the submission of views on a plan to twin a 1,150-kilometre oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia.

      An online questionnaire by a ministerial panel formed by the federal Liberal government to engage the public on the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline will close on September 30.

      The panel, which conducted a series of meetings in Alberta and B.C. last July and August, is expected to submit a report to Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr in November.

      A final decision by the national government on the $6.8-billion plan by American energy company Kinder Morgan is anticipated on or before December 19 this year.

      If approved, the expanded pipeline will carry 890,000 barrels of oil per day from Edmonton in Alberta to a B.C. marine terminal in Burnaby.

      This will lead to an increase in the number of oil tankers moving through Burrard Inlet from around 60 to more than 400 per year.

      Last May 19, the National Energy Board granted conditional approval for the project, subject to 157 conditions.

      In anticipation of the September 30, Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) is organizing two town hall meetings to discuss the risks associated with an expanded pipeline.

      “It’s really important to encourage anyone who hasn’t commented yet to submit their comments as soon as possible as we anticipate the Federal Government's decision on the project by the end of the year,” BROKE spokesperson Ruth Walmsley said in a media release.

      The first town hall will be held on Wednesday (September 21) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event takes place at the Forest Grove Elementary School (8525 Forest Grove Drive).

      A second public meeting is scheduled on September 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Firefighters Banquet & Conference Centre (6515 Bonsor Avenue).

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