Kinder Morgan pipeline assessment challenged in court

The city of Vancouver says it will go to the Federal Court of Appeal on Friday over Kinder Morgan's proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline.

The city wants a judicial review of whether the National Energy Board should consider climate change in its assessment of the project.

Vancouver officials have already asked the board, which said it could not take the global issue into account.

The city says it's not right that the board will consider the broader economic benefits of the pipeline expansion but won't take into account the broader environmental effects.

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The $5.4-billion expansion project would almost triple the capacity of the current pipeline, from 300,000 barrels of oil a day to almost 900,000 from Alberta to Port Metro Vancouver.

The city ofBurnabyis also opposed to the proposal and is embroiled in its own dispute with Kinder Morgan over access to city land.

In a decision released Tuesday, the National Energy Boardconfirmed that under federal legislation the company doesn't need the City of Burnaby's permission to begin surveying the land.

However, Burnabyhas vowed toblock the company's access to parkland and conservation areas with a constitutional challenge.

Kinder Morgan says it would prefer to bore its pipeline through themountain, rather than follow the current pipeline route throughresidential and business areas.