To be discussed at next meeting

Several others have weighed in, but we are still waiting to hear from Metro Vancouver’s fastest-growing city about plans to twin the Kinder Morgan pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby.  Surrey is staying quiet as it waits for a report into the proposed project to be completed.

“In terms of a full and thorough investigation of the impacts on both Surrey and the broad environmental impacts,” says City Councillor Barinder Rasode.

One environmental group thinks Surrey is in a very tough spot.  Eoin Madden with the Wilderness Committee assumes there is a divide amongst people who live south of the Fraser River.

“We are finding that there is a certain percentage of folks who are for the pipeline, there is a huge percentage against the pipeline and many are still undecided.”

He thinks people are reserving their opinions because they don’t want to appear like they are against the possible job creation the pipeline might create.  “It is long way of saying it is a very divisive issue because of a lot of the misinformation that has been put out there.”

Vancouver and Burnaby have come out against the Kinder Morgan project, while the Langley Township and Abbotsford may consider applying as an intervenor.

Kinder Morgan filed a formal proposal with the National Energy Board more than a month ago.

Local MP frustrated

This could make things tricky if you want to weigh in on Kinder Morgan’s plans to twin the Trans-Mountain pipeline.  Burnaby-Douglas MP Kennedy Steward is blasting the National Energy Board for performing maintenance on its website this weekend.

Stewart has been holding forums on Saturdays to help people apply for an intervenor status at the upcoming hearings.  But with only 20 days left to file applications, he calls the timing of this web-maintenance “ridiculous.”

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Photo: Signs at the entrance to Kinder Morgan's Westridge Marine Terminal (Joe Foy)