CAPP opposes threat to cut off oil to B.C. in Kinder Morgan battle

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) says the threat by Alberta's premier to cut off oil supply to British Columbia is not "the appropriate tool" to pressurethe province into supportingthe controversial Trans Mountainpipeline expansion.

Cutting oil supply to B.C. to drive up prices would be detrimental to Alberta's oil and gas industry, even though the pipeline's approval would in turn boost the industry as a whole, president and CEO Tim McMillansaid after a speech to the Canadian Club in Calgary on Tuesday.

"Limiting energy and damaging the energy industry we wouldn't recommend that," McMillan told reporters. "Any time that we limit the ability to access markets is a problem for us and, in fact, that's what this whole fight is about:our ability to access new and growing markets."

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Instead, the provincial government should pressure the federal government to solve this debate, he said.

The pipeline expansion was approved by the Canadian government in 2016. Now it's going through a route approval process to determine the exact pipeline placement.The existing Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline carries oil from Edmonton toBurnaby, B.C.

Governments and residents in British Columbia have said they are worried thepipeline would damage the environment, sensitive ecosystems, green spaces and private property.

In the throne speech last week,Premier RachelNotleythreatened to invoke the ban if B.C. stops or delays the project worth $7.4 billion by taking "extreme and illegal actions."

CAPP supports general strategy

Although the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is opposed to an oil sanction, the advocacy organization does approve ofNotley's broader political strategy, McMillan said.

"We support the premier in her initiative to make the Kinder Morgan pipeline a success and that she's doing a very important job of working with other governments, sometimes using difficult tools," he said.

Alberta previously banned B.C. winesafter the B.C. premier proposed limitingdiluted bitumen shipments while the government studied oil spill risk along the Pacific coast.

Courts best place for debate

B.C. Premier John Horgan saidthe best route for the Trans Mountain dispute with Alberta is through the courts.

B.C.has retained lawyer Joseph Arvay to prepare a reference case in the courts to test the province's right to protect its land, coast and waters.

Horgan said B.C. will stick to its legal plan to test its jurisdiction on environmental and economic grounds.

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