PIPE DREAMS
That pipeline company causing Mayor Gregor Robertson a tanker full of grief is back in the news with an announcement that it will decrease the number of barrels of crude per day it proposes to shoot down its tube from Alberta to Burnaby.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners broke the news May 23 that its expansion plans call for the current 300,000 barrels per day to increase to "about 750,000."
That's "about 150,000" fewer barrels per day than the company announced April 12-an announcement that prompted a full-on campaign by Robertson to stop expansion for fear of an environmental disaster occurring on these shores.
Why did the company reduce its barrel-per-day projections?
Apparently, "a few shippers" failed to obtain their boards' approval to sign a binding 20-year contract with Kinder Morgan to transport the crude.
I haven't had a chance to speak to His Worship about the company's latest plans-my promised sit-down was postponed Friday and I can never get him on the phone-but I know the news caused a stir with First Nations and environmentalists.
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Wilderness Committee quickly issued statements on Kinder Morgan's announcement, calling it misleading.
"If Kinder Morgan believes the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and our Lower Mainland neighbours can be easily fooled by constantly changing the scope of their expansion, they are mistaken," said Chief Justin George.
Ben West, the Wilderness Committee's healthy communities campaigner, said the focus should be on the total potential capacity of the company's expansion plans. West pointed to former ICBC CEO economist Robyn Allan's report saying the expansion project could facilitate 1.1 million barrels per day and thus require up to 475 tankers a year to move the crude.
Reality check: The number of tankers in local waters has never surpassed 100 in at least the last seven years. In 2010, a high of 71 tankers navigated the Vancouver Harbour. Last time I checked on the numbers in August 2011, traffic had dropped to 21 of the big boats.
The explanation for the decrease given to me by Chris Badger, chief operating officer of Port Metro Vancouver, was oil producers and Washington State refineries agreed that year to receive oil from Alberta via a pipeline to Washington State.
Kinder Morgan's proposal includes twinning its pipeline, adding new pump stations along the route, increasing the number of storage tanks and expanding Westridge terminal in Burnaby.
The company expects to apply to the National Energy Board in 2014. If the application is approved, construction could begin in 2016 with the project in operation by 2017.
Kinder Morgan will begin what it calls public engagement this summer. Meanwhile, people interested in the topic may want to attend Burnaby-Douglas NDP MP Kennedy Stewart's office, 4658 Hasting St., this Saturday to discuss a map of Kinder Morgan's current Trans Mountain pipeline route.
If you go, I'm curious if it will be by gas-guzzling car.
Twitter: @Howellings
