Trans Mountain pipeline pays $196K penalty for environmental lapses after 2024 storm
Global News
The company that operates the Trans Mountain pipeline has paid a $196,000 fine for environmental lapses along its B.C. pipeline route in the aftermath of a massive Jan. 2024 storm.
Trans Mountain has paid a regulatory fine for environmental lapses along its British Columbia pipeline route in the aftermath of a massive January 2024 storm that caused major flooding in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
The $196,000 fine is the largest cumulative penalty of its kind issued by the Canada Energy Regulator.
The regulator says when the Jan. 2024 storm hit, the company failed to ensure enough environmental workers were on hand to handle the floodwater, and directed all of its crews to one location where weld repairs were taking place and where senior leadership was set to visit.
It took the company several days, in some cases, to turn its attention to issues along other stretches of the pipeline route around Abbotsford, including a small landslide and sediment-laden floodwater.
The regulator says although the lapses ultimately did not result in much harm, the risk was high.
The Canadian Press has reached out to Trans Mountain for comment.
In what’s called a notice of violation detailing its reasons for the fine, the regulator says the pipeline company repeatedly failed to prioritize known issues along the pipeline’s B.C. segment as it tried to get the much-delayed project over the finish line.
The storm arrived just three months after the company had been put on notice by the regulator over related lapses.
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