Recalculating. That鈥檚 what Kinder Morgan should be doing after providing the wrong GPS co-ordinates to support an injunction against protesters on Burnaby Mountain, where the company is doing drilling work in connection with the proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline.
Building a pipeline to transport Alberta crude oil across sa国际传媒 to Vancouver is a major task and much is at stake; the engineering must be detailed and absolutely accurate. It doesn鈥檛 bode well if the company can鈥檛 get its co-ordinates right for one survey location.
Charges of civil contempt against more than 100 activists were dismissed by a Vancouver judge this week when it was learned the GPS co-ordinates were incorrect. At one location, the co-ordinates were so inaccurate, the actual work site involved was entirely outside the area covered by the injunction.
GPS devices many of us carry in our cars are not what you would call precise, but they usually get us within a few metres of our destinations. If we drive past, the gadget says: 鈥淩ecalculating,鈥� and helps us turn around or find a different route.
There aren鈥檛 any opportunities to turn around when building a pipeline through hundreds of kilometres of mountainous terrain, over streams, past lakes and under fragile environments.
The engineering challenges are only one aspect of the project. A bigger challenge is what has come to be called social licence, the acceptance or approval by local communities and others potentially affected by a project. To gain that acceptance, trust must be built, and that trust is easily shaken by missteps.
It might be argued that Kinder Morgan鈥檚 miscalculation is a minor matter, given that it has little bearing on the actual pipeline. But it raises the question: If they miscalculated this one, how do we know they are accurate on other calculations? If they are casual on minor things, what will be their attitude on major things?
Sure, it鈥檚 one small detail, but the big picture is a collection of small details.
Enbridge, the company proposing to build the Northern Gateway pipeline from Bruderheim, Alta., to Kitimat, sparked outrage in 2012 when it produced an animated map of Douglas Channel that showed a clear, wide passage from Kitimat to the more open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound.
In reality, a tanker plying Douglas Channel must negotiate a torturous 140-kilometre route with many islands, rocky outcrops and sharp turns. The route to the open waters of the north Pacific Ocean involves crossing Hecate Strait, which is considered one of the most turbulent bodies of water in the world.
Enbridge鈥檚 reply to the outcries was that its map was meant to be illustrative, not misleading. But that was another miscalculation 鈥� regardless of intent, it looked like an attempt to gloss over the hazards of a difficult passage.
Much of the economy of sa国际传媒 and the rest of sa国际传媒 depends on resources. Vast quantities of oil already flow through pipelines and are transported by tanker without incident. The statistical risk of an oil spill is small, but the consequences of such a spoil would be huge. Anyone who tries to downplay that risk will be regarded with mistrust and suspicion.
Oil tankers regularly pass by south Vancouver Island. An increase in pipeline capacity will multiply tanker traffic and its associated risks.
The public must be convinced that no detail has been overlooked, no dangers glossed over, no safeguards relaxed.
If you get the GPS co-ordinates wrong in your car, you can do a U-turn or drive around the block. But if a pipeline is misaligned or a misdirected tanker is headed to a rocky shore, there will be little opportunity to recalculate.
