Pipeline proposal would avoid Westsyde, Jacko Lake By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
An expanded Trans Mountain oil pipeline will likely avoid Westsyde and Jacko Lake, according to a facilities application for the project filed with the National Energy Board (NEB) on Monday, Dec. 16. If the NEB agrees it is complete, Kinder Morgan’s application — more than 15,000 pages — kicks off a formal review process that would last 15 to 18 months and include public hearings. The company wants to add a second line to its existing pipeline, built in the 1950s, that would nearly triple the amount of crude and refined oil products it ships from Alberta to Burnaby.
The new line would increase capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 at a construction cost of $5.5 billion. Locally, the project has generated concern from homeowners in the Westsyde area, whose properties sit on the old pipeline’s right-of-way. In its application, Kinder Morgan has suggested a different route to avoid the neighbourhood — one it tested at open houses in Kamloops earlier in the year. “To avoid passing through Westsyde for several kilometres, an alternative to the west is being considered,” the application states. “This alternative would follow a [fibre-optic transmission system] right-of-way through Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area.” The company has stated in past that beyond NEB
approval, it would need permission from the provincial government for such a plan. Other than Westsyde, the application states Kinder Morgan plans to stick to its existing right-of-way between the Tournament Capital and Merritt, save for a few small detours. To the city’s south, the company said its plan is to “jog to the west on the proposed Ajax Mine property to avoid Jacko Lake and a narrow valley where there is insufficient room to install a second pipeline.” Kinder Morgan is also looking at options for routing around two reserves near Merritt. Besides routing plans, the application includes risk assessments, environmental studies and information about consultations conducted with First Nations and the broader public on the pipeline so far.
TUESDAY
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THIS WEEK Tuesday, December 17, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 100 www.kamloopsthisweek.com X 30 cents at Newsstands
GUILTY
While Roy Fraser has been convicted of murdering Kamloops men Kenneth Yaretz Jr. and Damien Marks, family of the victims say there will be no closure.
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