More

Kinder Morgan plans $5B pipeline expansion to Vancouver

Posted: 04/12/2012 5:27 pm Updated: 04/14/2012 12:26 am

Amazing
 Inspiring
 Funny
 Scary
 Hot
 Crazy
 Important
 Weird


The Kinder Morgan pipeline company is rolling out plans to spend $5 billion to nearly triple the capacity of its Trans Mountain pipeline that carries crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to tankers in Vancouver.


When completed, the proposed expansion will increase capacity in Trans Mountain from the existing capacity of 300,000 barrels per day to 850,000 barrels per day, said Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada, in a statement on Thursday.


It will also include the expansion of the Westridge Marine Terminal in Vancouver to allow larger tanker ships to transport the oil to Asia.


The company says it is committed spending up to two years consulting with communities along the route, including First Nations and environmental organizations starting this summer.


“We anticipate filing a facilities application initiating a regulatory review with the National Energy Board in 2014. If our application is approved, construction is currently forecast to commence in 2016 with the proposed project operating by 2017,” said Anderson.


Houston-based Kinder Morgan owns or operates nearly 60,000 kilometres of pipelines and 180 terminals in North America.


The Trans Mountain line stretches 1,150 kilometres between Edmonton and terminals in the Vancouver area and Washington State. It carries heavy and light crude oil, as well as refined products such as gasoline and diesel.


It has been involved in several recent spills including more 100,000 litres of light crude oil that was spilled at Kinder Morgan's Sumas terminal in January.


The expansion plan comes as Enbridge seeks to build its own Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat on the North Coast of B.C.


FOLLOW CANADA BUSINESS

The Kinder Morgan pipeline company is rolling out plans to spend $5 billion to nearly triple the capacity of its Trans Mountain pipeline that carries crude oil from the Alberta oilsands t...
The Kinder Morgan pipeline company is rolling out plans to spend $5 billion to nearly triple the capacity of its Trans Mountain pipeline that carries crude oil from the Alberta oilsands t...
Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Cameron Fenton

Cameron Fenton: B.C. Oil Industry Expansion: The Perfect Storm

Much like in the salt spray-soaked blockbuster, this perfect storm is a coalescing of a number of smaller systems, but instead of scruffy-faced celebrities at the center, this storm is dead set to converge on the rights of Indigenous peoples, the rights of workers, and on any hopes of a just and sustainable future.
Chris Genovali

Chris Genovali: Oops I Spilled it Again: Why Exxon History is Repeating

As Saturday marked the 23rd anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, have we learned anything from the disaster? The answer appears to be a resounding "no," given the support to expand Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline and the dramatic escalation in oil tanker traffic that will accompany it.

Filed by Christian Cotroneo  | 
 
 
  • Comments
  • 7
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
ShouldIMaketheEffort
0 Fans
02:14 AM on 04/15/2012
This headline of this article and the article itself makes it sound like this is a done deal. The headline says "Kinder Morgan plans..." as if it is up to Kinder Morgan what happens. It is not, though Kinder Morgan may wish its potential investors to believe this

A paragraph in the article begins: "The company says it is committed spending up to two years consulting with communities... First Nations...." This is ridiculous. the way it is written. It is not out of the goodness of their heart that Kinder Morgan is consulting with people who live here in BC. They are doing it because they are REQUIRED to do it, before they are given permission to proceed.

Because of these two features of the article, I tend to think that there wasn't much journalism done here. Rather, the article was likely written from a press release of Kinder Morgan itself, or else by the public relations firm the federal govt appears to have hired to influence public opinion on these pipeline projects.

Please, this is a HUGE issue for the people of BC. Let us take every opportunity to examine what the risks are, and who precisely may benefit from such a pipeline.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Norma Ward
97 Fans
09:00 AM on 04/13/2012
The Harper government's single-minded attempt to turn Canada into a petrostate is frightening. Rather than modestly increases in Canada's oil sands production to supply growing domestic needs, they are only interested in drawing down Canada's oil reserves as quickly as possible, an idea that is foolish at best as shown here:

http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2012/01/canadas-oil-sands-are-we-exporting.html

Canada's domestic supply of conventional crude has been on the decline since the early 1970s and despite the country's exports of synthetic crude, imports of nearly 800,000 BOPD are required to meet growing consumption. Perhaps the Harper government should be considering Canada's energy security ahead of security for both China and the United States.
Permalink  |
4eight5
60 Fans
07:31 AM on 04/13/2012
Pipelines!!! We have a pipeline running right through our community. It carries natural gas, the so called savior of Nova Scotia's finances. As it sizzles past we are constantly reminded that the gas isn't for us NS peons but for the American northeast. We don't get natural gas. We have to fuel our electrical turbines with dirty coal and expensive crude. Most people heat their homes with expensive furnace oil made from expensive crude. Seems to me that the only people really benefiting from Canadian resources are the oil and gas barons. How many companies would set up in Canada if we were to slash their energy costs? Wait. Can't do that because it would be unfair trade. China has people like we have oil. Can we ship jobs to slave labor? Oh yes, that is fair game. This country is sitting on the mother lode of just about everything from water to oil to minerals to food. Our puppets in Ottawa haven't got a clue. How can a country this rich with so few people need an austerity budget? Simple. Stupidity and sell out. That's the way I see it as the gas sizzles past us in Nova Scotia.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
JBSCanada
They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot!
104 Fans
 
09:31 PM on 04/12/2012
Supertankers cruising into Burrard Inlet full of petroleum condensate, filling up under the Burrard Street bridge with one to two million barrels of toxic crude oil (dilbit) and sailing past Victoria, in all kinds of weather, day and night and with constant marine traffic of all kinds.

What could possibly go wrong?

If Canada's citizens don't stand up and stop it, we will deserve everything that later transpires. Remember, I warned ya...
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
Jessen Joseph
86 Fans
07:02 PM on 04/12/2012
I know the majority of Albertansare PRO oil pipelines.

They won't learn their lesson until, literally, a pipeline breaks right in their surroundings, and affects their lives.
Permalink  |
yer
Stop the Alberta Taliban
240 Fans
06:53 PM on 04/12/2012
It's a good thing they're transferring it to Asia, we certainly don't need it... Oh wait...
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Francmon
Homo homini lupus
65 Fans
05:51 PM on 04/12/2012
Harper's plans to sell Canada off are doing very well, thank you !!! I have nightmares of the Rockies looking like a maze of pipes... And, after a few spills, looking more like a giant gooey mess...
Permalink  |