transmountianpipeline2-637x358As National Energy Board hearings continue this week on the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion proposal, not all of the intervenors are going in with a negative view of the project. The City of Abbotsford will present on Friday, and Mayor Henry Braun says they’ve managed to work with Kinder Morgan to whittle down their list of almost 100 issues to just 2 or 3.

“I have found Kinder Morgan to be a company that keeps their word.  They’ve given me no reason not to trust them….I think you have to sit down with people and find out what the issues are.  Discuss them, debate them, and at the end of the day I think you come up with a better solution.  Just being angry at people and throwing rocks all the time doesn’t solve anything.”

He says their biggest concerns revolve around maintenance costs, as well as the potential disruption from work in the Sandy Hill area. He says they’d also like more valves put in in case there is a leak in the future.

The FVRD will also be presenting its case on Friday.  The City of Chilliwack has made its concerns known in a 33 page letter to the NEB.  Many municipalities, First Nations, special interest groups, landowners, and even the province itself have said they don’t feel comfortable with the project moving ahead with so many questions still unanswered.