The Communications Director of the Sierra Club of BC calls the decision to give Kinder Morgan the green light "a deeply disappointing betrayal of election promises."
Caitlyn Vernon says despite what the Prime Minister says - there is no way this project is safe:
"Look, the Prime Minister said this project is safe. There is no way this project is safe. Even with the best technology accidents happen. We saw with the recent spoill in Heiltsuk territory that even with the best technology, even with qualified personel it is impossible to clean up an oil spill. And that was a small oil spill."
Vernon says the tankers that would be allowed to traverse the BC coast would be immense - and would be carrying extremely large amounts of undiluted bitumen - and says a spill would be catastrophic:
"Diluted bitumen, what they are carrying, there is no technology that can clean this up. So we would be looking at an ecologivcal andeconomic disaster for generations. Is that the legacy this Prime Minister really wants to leave British Columbians?"
Vernon says there are already legal challenges that have been filed from First Nations. She adds that today's announcement counters the species at risk act -- and adds because tankers carrying undiluted bitumen puts southern orcas at risk of extinction there will be further legal challenges filed.
Vernon was speaking to CFAX 1070's Pamela McCall.