Federal pipeline regulator asks public to guide emergency plans for oil spills

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) The National Energy Board is asking us to share what we think about the amount of information we get from pipeline companies on what their plans are if a big spill happens. The board says this has everything to do with complaints from local governments about the lack of info on Kinder Morgan’s emergency plan.

It’s a public consultation process. You can make a submission up until June 25th. All submissions will be made public.

The NEB’s chair says he’s heard loud and clear that people feel they deserve to know how energy companies plan to handle mishaps, especially people in BC. Darin Barter with the board says companies like Kinder Morgan are not currently required to make their emergency response plans public. He says they want to know what information would make the public feel more comfortable with pipeline projects. “At this point, most jurisdictions across Canada don’t have that information. The plans exist. So there are plans, but in the absence of information, there’s a lot of skepticism around it.”

Barter explains any outcome from the consultation will not affect the hearing process for the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline. “Any changes that we make would be reflected in how we evaluate applications, but I can’t commit to that at this point because we have a process that’s already underway.”

The Cities of Burnaby and Vancouver say Kinder Morgan has refused to answer about half of their questions about the project, including many about their emergency response plan.

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