Petition: A made-in-BC environmental assessment for Kinder Morgan

Full text

It’s time for the provincial government to reclaim its right to a made-in-BC review of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline.

For months now, intervenors have tried to make the federal review process work.

This past week that all came to a head. We saw Trans Mountain sue Burnaby residents for “trespassing” on public parkland, and seek an injunction against obstruction to the work they were mandated to conduct.

We also saw one of the most credible intervenors, Marc Eliesen, pull out because he felt that the process was "deceptive and misleading", and that the NEB was failing to fulfill its role as an impartial and transparent review body. Eliesen, is a former board member of Suncor Energy, CEO of B.C. Hydro, Chair of Manitoba Hydro and deputy minister in several federal and provincial governments.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The BC Government has the option to pull out of the existing process and launch its own separate environmental assessment by giving the National Energy Board 30 days notice.

Please join us in calling for a made-in-BC environmental assessment that would be controlled by British Columbians so we can make sure our concerns are respected and our questions get answered.

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To the Honourable the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, in Legislature Assembled:

The petition of the undersigned, residents of the Province of British Columbia, states that:

Whereas intervenors have tried, unsuccessfully, to make the federal review process work for British Columbians;

and Whereas the National Energy Board has denied the vast majority of intervenors’ requests to have their questions answered by Trans Mountain;

and Whereas the Province of British Columbia has promised to stand up for British Columbia;

Your petitioners respectfully request that the Honourable House give the thirty days’ notice required to cancel the Environmental Assessment Equivalency Agreement in reference to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project, and initiate a made-in-BC environmental assessment for this project.

Dated 3rd day of November, 2014.