The B.C. NDP has already made clear its opposition to Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline.

On Earth Day (April 22), NDP Leader Adrian Dix indicated that his party would also make things difficult for another oil pipeline proposal—Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain expansion.

It's a position that's winning praise from environmental organizations which have been fighting the expansion of the Alberta tar sands as well as increases to oil tanker traffic on the B.C. coast.

“The majority of British Columbians oppose putting our coast at risk of an oil spill for so little benefit. While the oil industry and pundits outside B.C. are sure to criticize the NDP’s position, the party has done the right thing by siding with citizens and taking a principled stand against oil tanker proposals. It is, after all, the job of politicians to represent their constituents," Eric Swanson, campaign director for the Dogwood Initiative, said in a statement.

“On the flip side, the B.C. Liberals have effectively not taken a position on the second most important issue on the minds of most voters in this provincial election and, if anything, have indicated they’d be willing to sell out B.C.’s coast for the right price.”

Kinder Morgan wants to twin the Trans Mountain pipeline, which carries tar-sands oil from Edmonton to a shipping terminal in Burnaby. This would expand the system's capacity to 890,000 barrels of oil per day, and lead to more tankers visiting Vancouver Harbour.

“They are talking about an increase of five- or six-fold [in capacity] and I think that transforms Vancouver into a major oil export port,” Dix told reporters at a news conference today in Kamloops, according to the Globe and Mail.

“I don’t think people in Vancouver see that as the right way to go, and I don’t think that’s the right way to go.”

Sierra Club B.C. applauded Dix's position that the NDP does not support a major increase in oil tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet.

"That proposal would see more than 400 oil tankers a year travelling past Victoria and the Gulf Islands. An oil spill could be catastrophic for B.C.’s south coast and would jeopardize jobs in important industries such as tourism and fishing. The risk of an oil spill is far too great, and the 10 to 15 percent industry standard for clean-up is far too small," Sarah Cox, interim executive director of Sierra Club B.C., said in a statement.

In another statement, Ben West, tar sands campaign director for ForestEthics Advocacy, said, "We are happy to hear that the BC NDP intends to stand up to the Harper government and defend our coast and our climate by opposing both of these pipelines."