The Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation, known as the SSN, is calling for regulators to deny Trans Mountain’s request to abandon a less-intrusive tunneling technique through a section of the indigenous land. Approval of the request would contravene SSN’s previous agreement for construction, but could potentially save the government-owned company from further delays and rising costs.
Trans Mountain’s motivation for the change isn’t related to “the feasibility of Micro-Tunneling but, critically, Trans Mountain’s desire to meet the new In-Service Date,” the SSN community said in a filing with the Canadian Energy Regulator. The expanded pipeline, which has faced fierce opposition from some indigenous communities in British Columbia, will roughly triple the volume of Alberta crude that can be sent to the Vancouver area by pipeline to 890,000 barrels a day. The project, due to come online in first quarter 2024, has faced repeated delays and ballooning costs, which are now expected to reach C$30.9 billion.