Trans Mountain pipeline expansion opens

An expansion to the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to BC will finally see oil beginning to flow today. Andrew McPherson is in Burnham with more details on this. Andrea, it took a lot to get to this point. And the oil will start flowing from the West Ridge Marine terminal here in Burnaby today, but it won’t be until mid-May until that oil starts being loaded onto ships. This comes as the final applications for the twin pipeline have been approved by Canada’s energy regulator. It will increase shipping capacity from 300,000 barrels a day to nearly 900,000 twinning the existing Trans Mountain pipeline system from Alberta to the BC coast. The project was the subject of countless large protests, saw several legal challenges over the years, with many still opposing it to this day. In 2018, it was also purchased by the federal government for $4.7 billion. It took four years to construct, costing more than $34 billion to do so. Richard Mason with the University of Calgary School of Public Policy has been following this closely. Over time, we we are going to try to electrify transportation. You know, starting with cars, trains, those type of things, it all takes a long time to build. But right now oil demand is still increasing. So it’s 103 million barrels a day right now, increasing by a million and a half barrels a day each year. And there’s no clear timeline on when it’s going to stop decreasing. Environmental groups who have been opposed to this project are reacting to today’s news. The Wilderness Committee says it is heartbroken after fighting for 14 years, and says it is extremely worried about the Fraser River, Salish Sea and all those who use these water sources depending on them for survival. We’ll send it back to you. All right, Andrea, thanks very much.