Proposed oil pipeline to B.C. coast spurs alarm in Washington state

A proposed crude oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast has triggered concern in Washington state, particularly because the planned tanker route would pass near environmentally sensitive waters. Alberta announced late Thursday a fast-tracked pipeline designed for one million barrels per day, terminating about a mile from Washington waters. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined plans to move oil from the Edmonton region to a Roberts Bank expansion at the Port of Vancouver on the Strait of Georgia, for supertankers headed to Asian markets. Environmental groups and some Washington tribes warned the project would increase tanker traffic through the Salish Sea and raise the risk of catastrophic spills, vessel accidents, underwater noise, and harm to marine wildlife. Friends of the San Juans cited the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, saying the population is currently 74 individuals. Opponents including the Lummi, Samish, Swinomish, and Makah said treaty rights and fisheries could be threatened.