ENOUGH RESEARCH ON PIPELINE
It’s safe to begin with Trans Mountain expansion project, says Keith Sashaw.
As an organization representing consulting engineers, ACEC-BC appreciates the need to study issues, weigh options and determine the most efficient and safest way to proceed. That is what our members’ clients expect when they engage a consulting engineer. We also recognize, however, that at some point further study and research is not going to yield any additional significant findings.
The Trans Mountain expansion project has gone through extensive public hearings. It has met the rigorous requirements of the National Energy Board and the federal government has given its approval to the project. The project is now facing further delays as the province of B.C. has announced it will be conducting further research on the project’s impact on B.C.’s coast.
There are 11 major international conventions and agreements regarding spill prevention and responses, including agreements that set standards for how a vessel is constructed to outlining measures dealing with pollution incidents. There are eight national processes or pieces of legislation that regulate marine shipping activities or marine spill responses. There are six provincial or regional entities that deal with marine-related issues.
This network of agencies and programs led the National Energy Board in its May 2016 report to note “there are competent authorities responsible for this regime and that these jurisdictions co-operate with each other and other organizations in facilitating the safety of marine shipping. Evidence indicates the regime is functioning appropriately.”
There is an agency dedicated to developing precise and reliable ways to measure the navigational risks associated with placing and operating marine terminals for large oil tankers. Transport Canada chairs the TERMPOL Review Committee for this project. The following agencies and organizations have been involved in the TERMPOL review process: Transport Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; the Canadian Coast Guard; Environment Canada; the Canadian Hydrographic Service; Pacific Pilotage Authority Canada; British Columbia Coast Pilots; and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
The TERMPOL review committee supported key risk-reduction measures proposed by Trans Mountain and concluded that it did not consider the overall increase in marine traffic levels to be an issue. The committee said that after reviewing Trans Mountain’s studies and considering its commitments, it had not identified any regulatory concerns associated with project-related tankers, tanker operations, the proposed routes, navigability, other waterway users or marine terminal operations.
Through the public hearing process, there were a number of precautionary risk-control measures that will mitigate risk due to increased tanker traffic that were identified. These include: Establishment of a shipping
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channel for Burrard Inlet east of Ironworkers Memorial Bridge by Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
Expansion of laden tanker
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tug escort to cover the entire tanker shipping route through the Strait of Georgia and between Race Rocks and the western entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait.
Training of pilots to disembark
■ by helicopter near Race Rocks instead of Victoria.
Enhanced Situational
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Awareness techniques that will require safety calls by pilots and masters of laden tankers and a boating safety program and notices to industry issued by Pacific Pilotage Authority.
In addition to all of this, the federal government, which ultimately has jurisdiction over Canada’s coasts as well as the regulation of interprovincial pipelines, has announced the Oceans Protection Plan, which will invest $1.5 billion over five years in coastal protections, with a plan to deliver results for the coming decade.
Our consulting engineers live and work here in B.C., and we care about B.C. We trust in the processes that are in place to protect our province, and we believe that we are in the best position to facilitate successful completion of this project to the highest safety standards. We believe that enough research and study has been done. It is now time to get on with the project.