Political solution needed, Kinder Morgan CEO says

in her opening remarks at a cabinet meeting.

Kinder Morgan’s Kean suggested that B.C. needs to change its position or the federal government must resolve the impasse.

“What we have is a government that is openly in opposition (to the project) and has re-affirmed that opposition very recently,” Kean said. “It’s outside of our control.” Kinder Morgan’s setting of a timeline escalates the intergovernmental conflict, and could require the federal government to flex political muscle by sending in RCMP protection to ensure the pipeline is built, analysts at Desjardins Capital Markets said in a report on Monday.

“The move significantly upped the stakes in the rapidly escalating intergovernmental squabble between the federal and British Columbia governments,” it said.

The analysts, however, question the willingness of the federal Liberal government to exercise force as the next election cycle approaches.

“The bottom line is that the future of the TMX project remains cloudy, and yesterday’s announcement is only likely to further entrench opposition activists by providing a calendar target.”

They added that Premier Rachel Notley’s declaration that her province is prepared to invest in the project is comforting and suggests that the project might survive the company’s deadline.

Greenpeace campaigner Keith Stewart called the May 31 deadline a power play by Kinder Morgan, whose securities filings show that the B.C. government’s opposition is only one of many obstacles.

“Bad projects are bad projects, so if this redirects investment toward good projects that contribute to Indigenous reconciliation and meeting our climate commitments, then that’s a net benefit,” Stewart wrote in an email.