Canadian Court Deals Blow To Trans Mountain Expansion
In a devastating blow to the prospects of the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline – and thus, to the entire Canadian oil sands industry – a Canadian court ruled that the federal government failed to adequately consult with First Nations affected by the project. The ruling throws the entire project into doubt.
It’s the latest setback to Canada’s oil sands industry, which ahs been struggling for a decade to build a single large-scale pipeline to move oil from Alberta to the international market. Keystone XL still sits in limbo, ten years after its original proposal, despite support from both the U.S. and Canadian governments. The graveyard of abandoned pipeline proposals has grown over the years, and could yet claim another victim.
“The Trudeau government failed in its rhetoric about reconciliation with First Nations’ and this court decision shows that,” a spokesperson for Squamish Nation said in a statement. “This decision reinforces our belief that the Trans Mountain Expansion Project must not proceed, and we tell the Prime Minister to start listening and put an end to this type of relationship. It is time for Prime Minister Trudeau to do the right thing.”
While the saga of Keystone XL has made international headlines and dragged on for years, the Trans Mountain expansion was supposed to be an easier lift. The project would be built as a twin line along the existing pipeline, reducing the environmental impact.
But it still has faced stiffed resistance on multiple fronts. The provincial government in British Columbia has aggressively opposed the project, which contributed to the near-decision by its owner, Kinder Morgan, to entirely scrap the project. In May, at the eleventh hour, unable to assuage the concerns of the American pipeline corporation, the desperate government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to nationalize the project, buying it off of Kinder Morgan’s hands at a hefty price.
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