The association commended the British Columbia Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision that it is not within the Government of British Columbia’s jurisdiction to regulate pipelines crossing provincial borders.
The court decision states that “unless the pipeline is contained entirely within a province, federal jurisdiction is the only way in which it may be regulated”.
The decision directly impacts the progress of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, which has faced a number of regulatory delays in 2019.
With this decision, the project has cleared another hurdle; the next hurdle is the Federal Government’s decision on whether to proceed with the project, which will be released in June.
CEPA CEO Chris Bloomer said the decision provides critical clarity for not only Trans Mountain, but also future projects with interprovincial pipelines.
“This kind of clarity is now needed around Canada’s environmental and regulatory processes to ensure Canada can attract new projects and investors,” said Mr Bloomer.
For more information visit the CEPA website.
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