Kinder Morgan Faces Mock Pipeline Lawyers



B. McPherson
Pipeline corp. shows disregard for human life
Giant corporation Kinder Morgan faces widespread opposition to its application to triple the oil pipeline through Metro Vancouver. If the increase in oil transport to the coast are allowed, an estimated 300 more oil tankers will shuttle through Georgia Strait each year.

There are environmental concerns with having a high pressure oil pipeline in one’s neighbourhood. A few years ago, one of the municipalities found to their horror that the black gold will spew many feet into the air ruining houses, yards and running down the streets to ooze into the ocean. It was nicked by a backhoe working on a street.

Kinder Morgan has proposed a more efficient(read shorter) route for its additional capacity. Some people woke up one day to find strangers in their back yards. The workers said they were surveying for the new pipeline. They were kicked out. Next KM proposed tunnelling under Burnaby Mountain over Burnaby’s city council’s objections. Then the corporation started chopping trees down in local parks so they could get better sight lines.

Demonstrators have turned out to block KM’s efforts to push this unwanted construction.  Court action has been taken to clear the people blocking the cutting of park trees. The legal representatives have argued that their contractors have been assaulted by people making angry faces at them.

Kinder Morgan lawyer Bill Kaplan told the court that activists who have blocked a subsidiary pipeline builder in a Metro Vancouver conservation area obstructed workers in part by making faces. Millions in damages are being sought. National Post

The judge has reserved judgement on the latest court action until November 17. Activists have taken up the challenge, posting selfies of themselves with angry faces. The KM Face has been taken up by the mayor of Vancouver as well as thousands of others.

The Houston based pipeline company has come under criticism from other quarters as well. Part of their publicity programme highlighted the economic benefits of allowing the pipeline expansion. A trade off to the intrusive project would be thousands of high paying construction jobs. A report by Simon Fraser University has concluded that the number of jobs created is vastly overstated and the possibility of a catastrophic oil spill is vastly understated.



Sources:
National Post              
Vancouver Sun              
Yahoo finance                 
Simon Fraser University Department of PublicPolicy             
Location: Burnaby Mountain, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A, Canada

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