Edmonton, AB — In a decision released on Tuesday, the National Energy Board (NEB) rejected a motion supported by environmental groups, First Nations, municipal governments, and community groups to include climate impacts in its new review of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX).
“Trudeau knows that if his government allows a climate review on TMX, the pipeline would have to be rejected. And this is a big conflict of interest because his government owns the project now. It’s clear he cares more about being a good pipeline CEO than being a good climate leader,” says Council of Canadians Climate Justice Campaigner Bronwen Tucker.
This decision breaks Prime Minister Trudeau’s election promise to give all energy projects a full climate review, ensure projects respect Indigenous rights, and to specifically redo the TMX assessment from scratch.
“Trudeau can stop building pipelines the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is to stop bailing out pipelines and take real climate action that reflects the urgency of the climate crisis,” says Tucker. “The hard way is going back to court, facing a wall of opposition on the ground, and still losing because communities from coast to coast to coast know it’s time for a just transition to a fossil fuel free future. We have the solutions, it’s time to start funding them instead of doubling down on an economy that’s going extinct.”
The full report on the NEB’s reconsideration of Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will be release Friday Feburary 22nd at noon ET. It will focus on the project’s impact on marine life off the coast of BC. Deficiencies around the government’s consultation process with impacted First Nations are being reviewed in a separate process.
