CALGARY, 15 July 2014 /CNW/ – The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) has directed Trans Mountain ULC (Trans Mountain) to file additional information on the feasibility of routing a four km portion of the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project through Burnaby Mountain. The company recently advised the NEB that this corridor is now the preferred option, a change from the original pipeline corridor filed with the project application in December 2013.
On 3 June 2014, the NEB issued an Information Request to Trans Mountain asking for clarity on its preferred pipeline corridor. In its 10 June response, the company indicated that its preferred route for its delivery lines to the Westridge Marine Terminal would run through Burnaby Mountain. Trans Mountain also stated that additional studies were needed and that these studies should be completed by 1 December 2014.
Under the National Energy Board Act, the Board has 15 months to complete its review of the Project. However, according to subsection 52(5) of the Act, if the Board requires an applicant to provide more information about a pipeline application, with the Chair’s approval, “…the period that is taken by the applicant to comply with the requirement is not included in the calculation of the time limit.” As such, the Board has implemented an excluded period from the calculation of the time limit to begin on 11 July 2014 and end on 3 February 2015.
Once Trans Mountain has filed the required studies, both the NEB and the nearly 400 registered Intervenors will have time to review the evidence and submit Information Requests to the company. Trans Mountain will be required to respond to the Information Requests by 3 February 2015, which will end the excluded period.
The NEB’s assessment of the sections of the application not affected by the change in corridor will continue as originally scheduled. However, the oral argument portion of the hearing will be rescheduled. A revised hearing schedule is available on the Board’s website.
Trans Mountain submitted its application to the Board on 16 December 2013. The project would expand the existing Trans Mountain pipeline system in Alberta and British Columbia and include approximately 990 km of new pipeline, new and modified facilities, such as pump stations and tanks, and the reactivation of 193 km of existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, BC. There would also be an expansion of the Westridge Marine Terminal. The application can be found on the NEB website at
www.neb-one.gc.ca/TransMountainExpansion.