The next step will soon be taken in the environmental assessment process looking into a proposed pipeline project between Woodfibre and Coquitlam.
The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has formally accepted the Eagle Mountain pipeline expansion project details submitted by FortisBC. The EAO published a letter to its website indicating new information generated through the first round of public consultation on the project has been incorporated into the Fortis application with some corrections to errors in the original application.
Eoin Finn of My Sea to Sky said he is ready for this next round of consultation and he has questions.
First, he wants to know if Fortis has a larger plan beyond the twinning of the existing pipeline.
“It doesn’t start back where the gas comes from,” said Finn. “It’s back the top of Coquitlam Lake and the deep suspicion of everybody is that is just phase one. They’re going to extend the 24-inch way back to Coquitlam. That’s phase two.”
According to Finn, the potential capacity to Woodfibre increases significantly if the pipeline is also expanded between Eagle Mountain and Coquitlam. Ultimately, he says, that would mean Woodfibre would get even more gas and increase the number of tankers moving through Howe Sound.
The EAO will begin a new 180-day review in the New Year on the 52-kilometre-long project.
“Based on discussions with FortisBC, I expect that the review period will commence the week of Jan. 5, 2015,” wrote Alanya Smith in a letter published to the EAO website.
This means Fortis has to schedule open houses and then advertise the dates of the open houses.
Fortis will have to respond to issues raised by government agencies, First Nation groups and the public in this next round of consultation.
Finn said he wants the provincial government to pass legislation that will guarantee the pipeline will only ever be used for natural gas to prevent the pipeline to be converted to an oil pipeline if money can’t be made moving natural gas through the pipe to be liquefied for sale overseas.
He also said he wants to know why Fortis isn’t planning to build its compressor station outside of Squamish, away from any populated areas.
“Why force the residents of Squamish to put up with the risk?”
Finn said he has other questions about the project and he intends to put his questions to the company once the next round of public consultation begins.
