It looks like Kinder Morgan will have a lot more local work to do if the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion moves forward. The National Energy Board has released its draft conditions for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, and there are a number of recommendations for Burnaby.
There are 145 conditions so far, many with more than one action point, and several directly address Burnaby issues.
For example, if the federal government approves the pipeline expansion, the NEB wants Kinder Morgan to update the risk assessments for the Trans Mountain system's terminals, including the Burnaby tank farm. The assessment must cover some of the concerns raised by the Burnaby fire department, including the effects of a boil-over event or the potential consequences of “flash fires” and vapour cloud explosions.
As for firefighting, a longstanding point of contention in Burnaby, Kinder Morgan must hire an independent body to conduct a review to determine the adequacy of the fire protection and firefighting plans at all terminals, including Burnaby Mountain and the Westridge Marine Terminal, where tankers fill up with crude.
The NEB is also insisting that Kinder Morgan file details on the proposed tunnel option that runs through Burnaby Mountain at least six months before starting construction. The NEB wants a description of the tunnel and entry procedures for the board’s approval, as well as details on excavation, portals, geotechnical data, pipe support and more. The board also wants information on the “cathodic protection” for the mountain tunnelling option. (Cathodic protection is a technique used to help prevent metal from corroding.) The board also wants to know just how much rock material Kinder Morgan plans to remove from the mountain and how the company will manage air and dust emissions and noise during tunnel construction. The company also has to consult with local residents and businesses that may be affected by the tunnel construction and tell the NEB the plan to manage their complaints.
The board also wants a groundwater seepage plan for Burnaby Mountain. If Kinder Morgan wants to cross any waterways with Nooksack dace, an endangered minnow found in Burnaby, the company must use a trenchless method. (This also applies to habitat for the Salish sucker, another endangered fish.)
The conditions also require Kinder Morgan to conduct emergency response practice drills for a number of scenarios, including a bitumen spill in the Burrard Inlet (originating at Westridge) and a credible worst-case scenario for the Burnaby tank farm. The NEB also wants an evacuation plan for people who could be affected by an incident at the local tank farm, including people at Simon Fraser University. The board is also insisting on beefed up emergency response plans that would cover the Burnaby tank farm and Westridge terminal.
Kinder Morgan did not have any immediate comment on the conditions, as staff were still reviewing them.
“A lot of the conditions in this draft … are directly related to the evidence that has been filed in the hearing to date,” said NEB spokesperson Tara O'Donovan. “The main purpose to floating these draft conditions at this point is to allow people to provide comment.”
Only hearing participants (intervenors or commenters or Kinder Morgan) can weigh in on the draft conditions. Commenters have until Aug. 18 to submit their letters, while intervenors have a Sept. 3 deadline for final written arguments.
These conditions are draft only, the final conditions will be attached to the final recommendation the board outs forward, and these are due on Jan. 25, 2016.
