CALGARY – The National Energy Board says it has established a process to resolve future permitting issues between the builders of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project and provincial and municipal authorities.
The NEB says that under the new process, it will take about three to five weeks to reach a decision on future disputes for permits the project is required to get under conditions imposed on the project.
Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. (TSX:KML) had asked for a way to resolve future disputes after encountering what it called significant delays on securing permits from Burnaby, B.C., that led it to launching a legal challenge.
The NEB ruled in favour of Kinder Morgan Canada on that challenge in early December, allowing the company to bypass some bylaws in the city that were found to be obstructing the project.
The company said Wednesday that it estimated that the Trans Mountain expansion project was a year behind schedule after encountering regulatory and permitting delays.
The project, which would close to triple oil shipping capacity from Alberta to the West Coast, faces significant opposition from numerous Indigenous groups, environmentalists and municipalities in British Columbia.