Take Off, Eh! The TransMountain Pipeline -- February 23, 2019

This is just some housekeeping regarding the TransMountain pipeline in western Canada. Nothing new here.

One hardly needs to make any comments about the National Energy Board's recommendations.

It's actually pretty "funny" for lack of a better word. I think the Canadian NEB was able to thread the needle in such a way to piss off anyone who has a dog in this fight. From what I can tell, this is what the NEB says:

This pipeline is absolutely the worse thing we can be doing when it comes to the killer whales and then there are a few issues with the pipeline route itself, not to even mention that this doesn't help the AGW issue at all. Why don't you just build a pipeline to North Dakota? They seem friendly enough. 

But go ahead, build your damn pipeline, you've sunk this much money and time into it, why not? But if you are really serious about building this monstrosity, be prepared to answer 156 conditions.

Note: I may have written earlier that it was 165 conditions. If I did, my bad. Sorry. I hope that was not material to your thoughts on this recommendation. 

Sort of reminds me of Bob and Doug McKenzie, "Great White North" skits on Second City TV years ago.


Yesterday I posted:

TransMountain: I think I read that the Canadian national energy regulator approved the TransMountain pipeline although the agency said it was "bad" for the environment. The government will now vote whether to proceed. (It will.) And then protests and lawsuits to follow.

Today, from a reader:

Here's the recent NEB document recommending TransMountain approval:

I found it to be page 9 of a 689 page volume.  It's actually titled "i" of the attached

https://www.neb-one.gc.ca/pplctnflng/mjrpp/trnsmntnxpnsn/trnsmntnxpnsnrprt-eng.pdf

Here's a screenshot of the bottom of that page:

Disposition

After completing the Reconsideration hearing and having regard to all relevant considerations, the Board is of the view that the Project is and will be required by the present and future public convenience and necessity, and is in the Canadian public interest. Pursuant to the National Energy Board Act (NEB Act), the Board confirms the recommendation, and replaces certain conditions, that it provided to the GIC in its OH-001-2014 Report. The Board recommends that the GIC approve the Project by directing the issuance of a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (Trans Mountain), subject to 156 conditions. Pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) the Board is of the view that the designated Project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Specifically, Project-related marine shipping is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects on the Southern resident killer whale, and on Indigenous cultural use associated with the Southern resident killer whale. This is despite the fact that effects from Project-related marine shipping will be a small fraction of the total cumulative effects, and the level of marine traffic is expected to increase regardless of whether the Project is approved. The Board also finds that greenhouse gas (or GHG) emissions from Project-related marine vessels would result in measureable increases and, taking a precautionary approach, are likely to be significant. While a credible worst-case spill from the Project or a Project-related vessel is not likely, if it were to occur, the environmental effects would be significant. While these effects weighed heavily in the Board’s reconsideration of Project-related marine shipping, the Board recommends that, in light of the considerable benefits of the Project and measures to mitigate the effects, the GIC find that they can be justified in the circumstances. The Board has identified a recommended follow-up program to be implemented with respect to the designated Project. Pursuant to the Species at Risk Act (SARA), the Board has identified the adverse effects of the Project and its related marine shipping on each SARA-listed wildlife species and its critical habitat, and has imposed (through conditions) and recommended (to the GIC) measures to avoid or lessen those effects and to monitor them.