Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Mark Worthing, Sierra Club BC, mark@sierraclub.bc.ca
Vancouver, BC -- In the face of escalating pressure from Alberta and the Canadian government, British Columbia Premier John Horgan has remained steadfast in his opposition to the Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline.
Kinder Morgan announced this week that it will suspend work on the controversial pipeline and make a final decision by May 31st about whether to move forward with the project or cancel it altogether.
The pipeline faces widespread resistance in British Columbia and from First Nations, and legal challenges including from First Nations whose lands were never ceded to the Crown. Not only would the project threaten land, water, and communities along the route in Canada, it would also dramatically increase dangerous tanker traffic along the West Coast, putting coastal communities in Washington, Oregon, and California at risk of increased pollution and threat of spills. Washington Governor Jay Inslee has joined Premier Horgan in opposing the pipeline.
“This pipeline never achieved consent. Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers would put the entire West Coast at risk of diluted bitumen spills,” said Mark Worthing, Climate & Conservation Campaigner with Sierra Club BC. “Oil spills don’t stop at the border and effective clean-up is impossible, so it’s no surprise that communities south of the border are standing up alongside British Columbians, First Nations and the BC government to defend our shared coast.”
“The Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers would be a disaster for communities on both sides of the border, and we are united in our opposition to this dirty, dangerous project,” said Victoria Leistman, Associate Organizer with the Sierra Club in Washington. “We applaud Governor Inslee and Premier Horgan for standing with First Nations to stop Trans Mountain once and for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.