Trans Mountain pipeline expansion can still win BC approval, Notley says

There is still time to get B.C. to agree to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, Premier Rachel Notley told reporters Tuesday.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to keep talking until the door is closed," she said. "A little hurdle here and little hurdle there, that's negotiations.

"That opportunity still exists there with (B.C. Premier) Christy Clark."

• Trans Mountain pipeline expansion not supported by B.C. government
• Trans Mountain expansion will reap long-term economic benefits, says Conference Board of Canada
• Trans Mountain pipeline expansion price could hit $6.8B, Kinder Morgan says

The B.C. government said Monday it can't support the proposed $6.8-billion expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby.

In a written brief to the National Energy Board, the B.C. government argues that the pipeline's proponent, Kinder Morgan, has not provided an adequate plan to prevent or respond to an oil spill.

On Tuesday the Alberta government filed its own brief urging the NEB to approve the project.

Notley said Canadians cannot simply say no to pipelines.

Oil and gas "is not just a significant economic resource to Alberta, it's a significant economic resource to all Canadians," she said."You can't just turn off the tap and walk away from it.

"The government of B.C. has an obligation to represent the best interests of their citizens. At the same time, they understand the role they play in the broader Canadian energy strategy."

If approved by the federal government, the Trans Mountain expansion project would twin the 60-year-old pipeline, which runs 1,150 kmfrom the Alberta oilsands to a marine terminal in Burnaby.

The expansionproject would nearly triplethepipeline'scarryingcapacity.