Route hearings for Trans Mountain set to begin in November and December

The 1147 km pipeline project was approved by the Government of Canada in November 2016 along an approximate 150 m wide pipeline corridor. The detailed route approval process will determine the exact placement of the new pipeline within the approved corridor. It is a key regulatory step required by the NEB before construction can begin on the new pipeline.

Hearings for segments one and two will take place in Spruce Grove (Edson) and Hinton (Alberta) beginning in November and December. Hearings in relation to the remaining segments which are located in British Columbia will take place in 2018.

The Board will announce specific venues, dates and times through a procedural update. Hearing dates and schedules will be sent to the participants in the detailed route hearings, and posted on the NEB’s website.

From April to July, the NEB received 452 statements of opposition to the proposed detailed route. The NEB will hold a public hearing for all statements of opposition that met the requirements of the National Energy Board Act. A statement was required to set out the opposition to the specific location of the proposed route, or methods or timing of construction.

The NEB also placed 157 conditions on the project. While many conditions address the full lifespan of the pipeline, the company is required to complete 98 pre-construction conditions before any construction begins. Canadians can monitor Trans Mountain’s condition compliance through the NEB’s interactive condition compliance tracker.

In addition to the detailed route hearings, the company applied for seven variations to the approved pipeline corridor, which in total affect approximately 4 km of the 1147 km pipeline corridor. Comments were sought from June to July from landowners near the requested variations and today the NEB announced it will hold a route realignment hearing in Chilliwack (BC) in January 2018.

Landowners or affected persons and participants who make representations to the NEB in one of the detailed route hearings may submit a claim directly to Trans Mountain for reasonable costs of participating in the detailed route hearing.

“The detailed route hearing process is a very important part of the NEB’s regulatory oversight role. It focuses on the specific concerns of landowners or affected persons directly impacted by the proposed route. By listening to their concerns, the NEB can ensure that the pipeline is placed in the best possible location,” stated Peter Watson, NEB Chair & CEO.