Surrey is applying for intervenor status in the upcoming hearings on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
The $5.4-billion project would nearly triple the capacity of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline to 890,000 barrels per day. That would mean a seven-fold increase in shipments through Burrard Inlet, to about 400 oil tankers a year.
Surrey council voted Monday to proceed with an application as intervenor, which would give the city the most involved level of participation in the National Energy Board (NEB) hearing process.
Surrey staff have recently met with a city property owner about the information supplied to him by Kinder Morgan (KM). That information indicates a variation in the alignment of the planned pipeline that the one earlier discussed with Surrey staff.
"The alignment of the pipeline is of importance to the city, and since it appears that KM is continuing to vary the alignment, it is considered important for the city to participate in the NEB process," a staff report to council states.
The deadline to register for intervenor status is Feb. 12. To apply online, go to www.neb-one.gc.ca