Tsleil-Waututh Nation Calls Attention to Pipeline Risks After Kinder Morgan Spill

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, June 13, 2013 /CNW/ - Tsleil-Waututh Nation is calling attention to the risks associated with pipelines after an oil spill shut down Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline yesterday. The 12-barrel spill occurred near Merritt, B.C., while Kinder Morgan was performing maintenance on the line.

"This incident demonstrates that with pipelines, spills are inevitable," says Chief Maureen Thomas, Tsleil-Waututh Nation. "Kinder Morgan may call this a 'small' spill, but 12 barrels spilled in any one location is not insignificant. If that amount spilled in our community, it would have a tremendous impact on the health of our people and the local wildlife."

"This spill should be a wake up call for all of us," says Gabriel George, Project Manager, Culture & Language, Sacred Trust Initiative, Tsleil-Waututh Nation. "Kinder Morgan says that there has been no impact to any water course and no threat to the public, but what about the next spill? They are proving that they can't eliminate the threat posed by their pipeline."

Tsleil-Waututh Nation is adamantly opposed to Kinder Morgan's proposal to build a new pipeline to bring crude oil/bitumen to foreign markets through Burrard Inlet and the Salish Sea. The proposal would see the transport of crude oil expanded from its present level of approximately 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day. The pipeline terminates in Tsleil-Waututh territory. The Nation has experienced the results of crude oil handling and refining on Burrard Inlet for a number of decades.

About Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Tsleil-Waututh Nation is a progressive and vibrant Coast Salish community of approximately 500 members. The Nation is located along the shores of Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada, across the Inlet from the Burnaby terminus of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline.

The Nation's Sacred Trust Initiative is mandated to oppose and stop the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project. Follow the Tsleil-Waututh Sacred Trust Initiative on Twitter:  @TWNSacredTrust

For more information please visit www.twnation.ca.

SOURCE: Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Media Contact:

Tsleil-Waututh Nation
604-358-3371
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