It is true that BC will shoulder the majority of consequences and cost should that pipeline ever spring a leak. (Enbridge's track record suggests that the word is when and not if.) However only a small percentage of the revenue for the pipeline flows to BC. The federal government's share of the pie is 33% and to date they have not done anything for their money. Alberta, where the high-paying jobs are and where the wealth is, is the major government winner in the project.
Premier Clark, you cannot argue that a percentage of Alberta's royalties should be given to BC anymore than Alberta can demand a percentage of your stumpage fees collected by BC for lumber shipped from BC to Alberta. You have to get your money from Enbridge, the company that stands to make more than anyone on the project.
I suggest that you do the following:
1. Tell Enbridge that they must use the best and most sensitive technology to detect spills along the length of the pipeline and that technology must originate in BC.
2. Enbridge must establish monitoring stations and fully-equipped rapid response stations every 100 kilometers along the pipeline. The stations must employ fully qualified and trained BCers and First Nations People.3. Enbridge must establish and maintain a minimum $5 billion fund to cover first response to any incident.
4. Enbridge must agree that they will be 100% responsible for any and all costs for any incident.
5. BC must be named as prime creditor status in the event of any default proceedings by Enbridge or any of its subsidiaries or partners involved in the pipeline.
What is the results of all this, Premier Clark? First, you protect BC environments and jobs as best you can without scuttling the project. Second, you put the costs on the right organization. And third, you force Enbridge to price all this into its charge to carry the bitumen, and if the price gets too high then the project will not go ahead.
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