1. What is Kinder Morgan trying to do?

Kinder Morgan is trying to bore holes for a proposed tunnel through Burnaby Mountain. The company wants to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline, which stretches about 1,000 kilometres from Edmonton to Burnaby, transporting both crude oil and refined products to the west coast. The new pipeline would triple the carrying capacity of the current system, bringing 890,000 barrels per day of unrefined oil to Burnaby for export via Burrard Inlet. The company wants to tunnel a section of pipeline through Burnaby Mountain, near SFU and a conservation area. Pipeline protesters have set up a blockade at the work site where surveying is being conducted. Kinder Morgan sought and won an injunction in B.C. Supreme Court to have the protesters removed. Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen granted the injunction on Nov. 16, saying anyone failing to comply with the order would be subject to arrest beginning Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. The judge cited the misuse of bullhorns, aggressive language and other actions preventing Kinder Morgan employees from doing their work.

2. What are protesters’ main concerns with the pipeline?

The protest started when Kinder Morgan workers cut down 13 trees in September in the conservation area for its survey work, which the city of Burnaby said contravened its municipal bylaws.

But there is a diverse group of protesters on the mountain, including one person who chained himself to a work vehicle. Activists are opposed to transporting oil because a pipeline spill could cause irreparable environmental damage and they are concerned about how the Alberta oilsands are contributing to climate change. First Nations with claim to the land say they aren’t being respected and haven’t been consulted on the project. Many of the protesters are Burnaby residents, who don’t want the pipeline running through their backyards and have formed a group against the pipeline called BROKE.

3. What is BROKE?

The Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion. The group says it is concerned about Kinder Morgan’s plan to ship three times more oil from the oilsands in Alberta, and are worried about the environmental impact in the event of a spill or leak. Kinder Morgan is suing BROKE for $5.4 million for trespassing on the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. BROKE says the land is protected for the people by City of Burnaby bylaws and contend that Kinder Morgan is ignoring municipal bylaws. BROKE has a mailing list of more than 500 members.

4. What is Kinder Morgan’s response to the opposition?

If the project is approved, Kinder Morgan says there will be no surface disturbance on Burnaby Mountain because the tunnel will be metres below surface, up to 160 metres at its deepest point. Kinder Morgan argues the tunnel option through Burnaby Mountain is a result of the consultation with the community, the residents’ request to see the existing pipeline rerouted, and the company’s objective to minimize disruptions to landowners, neighbours and road users. Kinder Morgan believes tunnelling is the best option and says it is committed to minimizing impacts to the conservation area and park uses.

5. What else is the opposition doing?

The City of Burnaby has applied for official intervener status with the National Energy Board to oppose the expansion project, and has held public meetings with residents. Several lawsuits have been filed, including one from First Nations, which are seeking to block the project, as well as the City of Vancouver, which wants climate change to be part of the Energy Board review, and the City of Burnaby, which accuses the company of violating municipal bylaws by cutting down trees. The mayors of Vancouver and Burnaby have publicly opposed the pipeline expansion.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com

With a file from The Canadian Press

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