Oil spill response paper unveiled
Environment minister says proposed measures are ‘not about Kinder Morgan specifically’
Pipeline operators and railways would be required to start assessing and cleaning up an oil spill within two hours if it is near a populated area or four hours anywhere else, under regulations proposed by the B.C. government Wednesday.
Environment Minister George Heyman released his ministry’s intention paper on the beefed-up provincial spill response regulations that he and Premier John Horgan promised to “defend B.C.’s interests” amid the prospect of increasing oil shipments across the province.
The province is now seeking public input on the measures, which, without mentioning the company, are seen as an additional barrier to Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project.
“This is not about Kinder Morgan specifically,” Heyman said in a scrum with reporters at the legislature. “This is about anyone who transports oil through the province.”
Heyman brought up the grounding of the tug boat Nathan E. Stewart off Bella Bella in 2016 as an example of where existing response times have proven inadequate, “and we’re seeing devastating impacts on First Nations because of that.”
Kinder Morgan president Ian Anderson said the proposals Heyman unveiled fall into federal jurisdiction and, as far as the company’s project is concerned, were considered in its review and approval.
“Kinder Morgan remains committed to environmental protection and world leading spill response,” Anderson said in an emailed statement.
Anderson said the federal review of the Trans Mountain expansion “thoroughly considered and addressed all the areas in today’s intentions paper.”
Absent from the position paper was the hot-button suggestion of banning increased bitumen shipments through the province until further scientific studies are done.
Heyman argued that, Trans Mountain expansion project aside, the province is protecting the coast, inland waterways and “tens of thousands of jobs that depend on a clean environment.”
“We need to assure British Columbians and ourselves that we have the plans to prevent spills, have the plans to respond in a timely manner (and) are specific to a particular geography,” Heyman said.
The 41-page intention paper on enhanced regulations touches four areas related to spill response and recovery where the government will be seeking input.
It starts with discussion on response times and whether it is appropriate to set specific timelines for assessing and responding to spills, with suggestions that pipeline operators and railways should be able to start assessing an incident within two to four hours, depending on whether it is close to a populated area.
The second area of proposed regulation relates to geographic response plans, which invites discussion on whether operators should write enhanced response plans for sensitive areas such as salmon streams.
The position paper is also looking for ideas on compensation in the event of spills as well as maximizing B.C.’s ability to apply its regulations.
The public has 60 days to provide input via an online questionnaire, but the province will also engage with industry, communities and First Nations on the recommendations with the aim of having new regulations for consideration by 2019.