Regulator calls out Trans Mountain for 'environmental non-compliance' in B.C.
Company failed to properly maintain infrastructure during recent flooding near Abbotsford, CER says
The company building the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has been cited for environmental non-compliance related to its management of recent flooding in British Columbia.
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) said Thursday its inspection officers found issues near Abbotsford, B.C., where Trans Mountain Corp. has been working on the final stretch of the multi-year oil pipeline project.
The regulator said the Crown corporation was not properly maintaining a watercourse isolation, wildlife fencing, soil coverings and dewatering pump and sump locations following recent heavy rain.
The CER has ordered Trans Mountain to address the environmental deficiencies, develop a water management plan and investigate and report on its environmental failings in the area.
The Trans Mountain pipeline is Canada's only oil pipeline to the West Coast and its expansion will increase the pipeline's capacity to 890,000 barrels per day from 300,000 barrels per day currently.
Construction is more than 98 per cent complete, but Trans Mountain has been racing against the clock as it deals with a variety of difficulties related to hard rock and challenging terrain.
The latest estimated cost of the project is $30.9 billion, according to the corporation's website, up from a 2017 estimate of $7.4 billion.