By Chad Klassen

KGHM arguing Trans Mountain expansion should avoid its property south of Kamloops

May 1, 2018 | 1:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — The company that proposed a mine south of Kamloops is arguing the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline should be re-routed to avoid its property. 

KGHM, which proposed the Ajax mine and was subsequently rejected by the province in December, presented to the National Energy Board on Tuesday, the first of three days of hearings at Hotel 540. 

Robert Richler, the lawyer representing KGHM and the Sugar Loaf Ranch, argued the secondary pipeline should run closer to Lac Le Jeune Road, west of the mine site. 

“Did you realize there’s a consideration of a mine being built?” Richler said to representatives from Kinder Morgan. 

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KGHM opposes the proposed route because it crosses through Ajax’s future tailings storage facility. Kinder Morgan, however, rebutted the Ajax mine has been denied and is “a speculative project,” so the company didn’t take it into consideration. 

Additionally, KGHM didn’t submit the alternative route, which would run west of the current proposed, until Apr. 6. The company argues that hasn’t given experts time to study the area. 

Senior director of the Trans Mountain pipeline Greg Toth noted during the hearing that the No. 1 goal for the Trans Mountain expansion is, if the pipeline deviates from the existing route, to re-join soon as to avoid any unneccesary extensions. 

KGHM’s alternate route is nearly 700 metres longer than Kinder Morgan’s current proposal. 

“One of the goals is to minimize the length of the pipeline,” said Toth.

Initially, the company wanted to expand alongside the existing pipeline, a move that would shorten the route. But Kinder Morgan would’ve had to go underneath Jacko Lake, something it wasn’t willing to do.  

KGHM pulled up statistics that the alternative route would have fewer water crossings (11 vs. 12) and cross through fewer pieces of private land (17 vs. 14). 

However, Kinder Morgan representatives argued that it’s not provided notices to affected landowners for the alternative, only the current proposal, and would need to conduct more consultation. 

During the proceedings, Richler pushed the hypothethical of the Ajax mine going ahead in the future. 

“If the mine was approved, wouldn’t it be better if the pipeline didn’t have be moved at a later date?” he said. “Assuming it was going ahead, it would make better economic sense not to dig it up.”

Kinder Morgan said it was aware the mine was rejected and proceeded with that information. The company contends its proposed route is the shortest and least environmentally damaging. 

“It’s the best route possible,” said Toth, noting that the pit, which still exists following Cominco’s operation of the old Afton mine in the 1990s, prevents Kinder Morgan from following the existing route. 

“If there was a physical mine, we would not route through an operating mine.”

Hearings continue into Wednesday with individual landowners speaking before the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation has its say on Thursday.