HARRISON – Feds’ ocean protection plan a reasonable compromise

CONSIDER IT another big piece of the pre election puzzle Christy Clark has been trying to solve.

Here’s a government that has claimed it’s all for responsible resource development, but has been struggling for a way to frame the controversial Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion so it will be palatable for most British Columbians.

That’s the reason the premier first put up her five conditions for pipeline development. One of the biggest, of course, was a world-class spill response program.

Courtesy of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement in Vancouver Monday, that hurdle appears to have been overcome.

A $1.5 billion ocean protection plan for the B.C. coast, the Atlantic and the Arctic. It’s not totally the model Christy Clark had articulated earlier, but it’s said to be on par with those considered to be models in countries like Norway, and was enough to paste a big smile of satisfaction on the premier’s face as she declared the announcement addresses the gaps her government identified.

Of course while this satisfies the concerns of the B.C. government, nothing short of burying the oil sands will satisfy some of the more extreme environmental groups.

But with the federal government hinting it will ban tanker traffic on the north coast, killing whatever is left of the Enbridge proposal, this seems to all but assure the $6.8-billion Kinder Morgan pipeline will be granted approval in the weeks to come.

A reasonable compromise on an issue where reason hasn’t always seemed to prevail.

Listen to Jim Harrison’s editorials weekdays on Radio NL, and to the Jim Harrison Show at 9:08 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at jharrison@radionl.com.