Is the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project a Success?

Commentary The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) was finally completed on May 1. Its startup that same month ended an 11-year saga of tectonic federal energy policy initiatives, climate change requirements, federal regulatory restructuring, and indigenous reconciliation. That it was finished at all is a triumph, but there was muted celebration. The original proponent for TMX was Kinder Morgan, which filed its application with the federal energy regulator in 2013. The expansion would be constructed in the existing right of way of the existing pipeline and increase capacity from 300,000 barrels of oil and refined products to 890,000 barrels of oil per day. This included expansion of the existing dock and loading facilities. Protests began virtually the next day. The cost estimate at that time was $7.4 billion for the 1,150-kilometre pipeline and related facilities. The federal regulator and the federal government approved the project in 2016....