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The B.C. government struck back at Alberta on Tuesday in the Kinder Morgan pipeline dispute, launching legal action challenging the constitutionality of Alberta’s new legislation that allows it to turn off the fuel taps to B.C.

Alberta passed Bill 12 last week giving the province the power to control the flow of oil, natural gas and refined products out of the province in response to B.C.’s opposition to the Trans Mountain expansion project.

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The lawsuit filed with the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta argues, in part, that the law is unconstitutional because it specifically is intended to discriminate against British Columbia.

The lawsuit cites the fact Minister of Energy Margaret McCuaig-Boyd stated the legislation is mean to “inflict pain” on British Columbia.

“We believe it would be reckless in the extreme and therefore highly unlikely that Alberta will actually attempt to use the powers they granted to themselves in Bill 12, especially when there’s an ongoing constitutional challenge to the legislation,” B.C. Attorney-General David Eby told reporters Tuesday. “However, if Alberta did take the remarkable step of attempting to use this law, we are prepared to immediately file an injunction.”