By The Canadian Press

Trans Mountain

No business case for Trans Mountain expansion, says former environment minister

Jun 15, 2019 | 9:21 AM

VANCOUVER – A former Liberal environment minister is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet to reject the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, saying there’s no economic basis for the project.

David Anderson, who served 10 years in the cabinets of prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, sent a letter to six members of Trudeau’s cabinet this week.

He says in the letter there is no credible evidence to suggest that Asia is likely to be a reliable or significant market for Alberta bitumen.

Anderson says compared to conventional light and medium crude oil from Nigeria and the Middle East, Alberta bitumen is expensive to produce and hard to handle.

He says despite access to tidewater through the existing system and through American Gulf of Mexico ports, Alberta’s bitumen has not found a significant offshore market.

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Trudeau’s government purchased the pipeline and expansion project for 4.5 billion dollars and is widely expected to give it the green light by Tuesday.

Kevin Birn, an analyst with IHS Markit, says the largest single demand source for heavy crude remains the United States, but the fastest growing market is Asia.

(The Canadian Press)