Trans Mountain 2.0: Challenging the federal government’s project approval

The Trans Mountain pipeline project threatens endangered Southern Resident killer whales, the climate, and coastal ecosystems and Canadians. The proposed expansion would carry 890,000 barrels of oil per day from Edmonton to the Westridge Terminal in Burnaby. The oil would then be shipped by tanker through the Salish Sea and on to American and overseas markets.

If built, the expansion would lead to seven times more tanker traffic crossing the Salish Sea, critical habitat for the Southern Residents. This raises the risk of tanker strikes, which could be deadly to whales, or a catastrophic oil spill.

Even if neither of those scenarios play out, the increase in tankers will mean more underwater noise when current levels already severely impact the whales’ ability to navigate, hunt and communicate with each other.

What does this outcome mean?

The federal government has a legal responsibility to help at-risk species, such as the Southern Resident killer whales, survive and recover. And Ecojustice is committed to continuing to use the power of the law to hold it to account.

While we have reached the end of the road in this particular case, Ecojustice and its allies continue to call on the government to introduce enforceable, legally-binding protections for the whales such as mandatory – instead of voluntary – vessel slow-downs and a measurable underwater noise reduction target.

If we want the Southern Resident killer whales to survive for generations to come, we have no choice but to continue pushing for better protections.

The Southern Residents already face imminent threats to their survival, including:

• A lack of Chinook salmon, the whales’ preferred prey
• Acoustic and physical disturbance from vessel traffic
• And contamination of the ecosystems where they live

At this rate, the declining population cannot handle these existing threats. much less additional hazards posed by the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Without immediate, decisive, and effective action, we risk losing Southern Resident killer whales altogether.