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First Nation May Be Able To Legally Block Kinder Morgan Pipeline
The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation has released an environmental assessment report that shows how risky the proposed tripling of the Kinder Morgan pipeline is for themselves and other Vancouver area residents. Furthermore, the stidy shows that Kinder Morgan has significantly underestimated the risk of a spill that is much greater than the English Bay oil spill last month. The First Nation's reserve is located less than two kilometres across Burrard Inlet from Kinder Morgan Canada’s Westridge oil tanker terminal. It plans to use the sudy to take legal action to prevent the pipeline from being completed.
Likelihood of an oil spill in Burrard Inlet over 50 years is 87 per cent, study claims ...
The 90-page assessment, released Tuesday by the 570-member Tsleil-Waututh First Nation of North Vancouver, includes scientific research that says Kinder Morgan has underestimated the environmental and public health risks of oil spills in Burrard Inlet.
“The assessment lays out the profound impacts of the project on Tsleil-Waututh title and rights, thus setting the stage for litigation that could delay or derail” the expansion, according to the analysis by six law professors, including the University of B.C.’s Gordon Christie. ...
Levelton Consultants of Richmond warned that more than one million residents around Burrard Inlet “are at risk of acute health effects from toxic air emissions from a worst-case oil spill.”
Grand Chief Philip Stewart said the study by the Tseil-Waututh backs up the risks and he is “absolutely confident” the pipeline expansion won’t go ahead. “Indigenous people have been saying no for a very long time. Now we have more legal tools to fight and oppose these.”
Scott Smith, a lawyer for the Tsleil-Waututh, said it will be difficult for Kinder Morgan to proceed without consent of the First Nation given the recent Supreme Court decision.
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