We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:
THAT
- Kinder Morgan is planning to build a new heavy oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia – tripling the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline system in BC to 890,000 barrels per day;
- This new pipeline brings massive environmental and economic risk, but no substantial benefit to British Columbia or to local residents;
- Approximately 40,000 barrels of oil have already leaked from the existing Kinder Morgan pipeline, including two major spills in Burnaby since 2007;
- Kinder Morgan estimates this new pipeline will only create 50 permanent full-time jobs and has stated it may be built using workers from outside BC;
- There is no known scientific technology to clean up the bitumen when there is a spill;
- Kinder Morgan argued in its National Energy Board application that oil spills can have positive economic effects as “spill response and clean-up creates business and employment opportunities”;
- Oil from this new pipeline will not be refined in British Columbia, sold to local consumers, or used to meet Canada’s energy needs – but instead will be shipped by tanker to foreign markets;
- These raw exports will increase the number of oil tankers coming into the Burrard Inlet from eight to 34 per month, putting at risk our waterways and the industries dependent on them;
- This new pipeline will pass through densely-populated urban areas, residential neighborhoods, and the traditional territories of 15 First Nations.
- The Liberal and Conservative Government have undermined the National Energy Board review process, resulting in many BC residents being unfairly prevented from sharing their concerns;
- Trudeau betrayed Canadians by approving the Kinder Morgan Expansion under Stephen Harper’s process
THEREFORE we call on the Government of Canada to immediately act to prevent this new oil pipeline from proceeding through British Columbia.