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CALGARY – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley threatened to cut off oil shipments to British Columbia “very quickly” on Wednesday, as her government passed its controversial new law that grants the government sweeping new powers over oil and gas shipments.

Notley said she would use the law, first introduced last month and passed Wednesday, if construction does not begin on Kinder Morgan Canada’s $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion soon.

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“Albertans, British Columbians and the rest of Canada should understand that if the path forward for the pipeline through B.C. is not settled soon, I am ready and prepared to turn off the taps,” Notley said Wednesday.

The comments are the most direct threat Notley has made regarding the province’s new powers to cut off all oil shipments to B.C. for that province’s opposition to the pipeline.

The law is necessary as all export pipelines leaving Alberta are full and that has resulted in Canadian oil being heavily discounted relative to U.S. and global oil benchmarks, the Alberta Premier said. “Alberta has the right to act in the public interest to reduce the cost to the treasury.”

Canadian heavy oil traded at a discount of $19.19 per barrel on average Tuesday, according to GMP FirstEnergy. Scotiabank estimates that the Canadian economy would lose $15.6 billion this year if heavy oil prices were discounted by US$24 per barrel, and called the situation a “self-inflicted wound” in a report in February.