On Wed. April 2nd, the National Energy Board (NEB) announced the list of participants who were approved to participate in the upcoming review hearings for Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline – and nearly half of the applicants were denied their preferred method of participation.

Here's the breakdown:

• 2,118 applications were received
• 452 were ‘downgraded’ by the NEB from intervenor to commenter status
• 400 were granted intervenor status
• 798 who requested commenter status were granted commenter status
• 468 were denied participation altogether

With this decision from the NEB, hundreds of individuals and groups have now been shut out of the hearings, being denied a chance to voice their important concerns about Kinder Morgan's tar sands pipeline (and the 400+ tankers it would bring to the Burrard Inlet each year).

The Georgia Strait Alliance and the Wilderness Committee have been allowed to participate as intervenors, and both groups will be using this opportunity to represent the voices of those who have been excluded. 

The complete lists of participants (by status) are available on the NEB website here:

• Intervenors
• Commenters
• Denied

We'll be posting more information about the hearing process – and equally important actions you can take outside the process – in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned for updates!