As B.C. Premier John Horgan continued to call for calm in the pipeline dispute with Alberta, his Attorney General David Eby scoffed at its threat to restrict fuel shipments to B.C.

Eby said Tuesday his ministry has reviewed Alberta鈥檚 legislation, presented Monday to give the province new authority to require licences for pipeline, rail and truck shipments. He said the bill is 鈥渦nconstitutional on its face鈥� and he can鈥檛 imagine a situation where Alberta would try to use it.

鈥淐learly the legislation is a bluff,鈥� Eby told reporters at the B.C. legislature. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 intend to use it. If they did try to use it, we would be in court immediately, seeking an injunction to stop them from using it. But we鈥檇 probably have to get in line behind oil companies that would be concerned about contracts that they have with companies in British Columbia to deliver product.鈥�

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley indicated the licence restriction option will be there 鈥渋f Alberta needs it鈥� to ensure the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion proceeds. Its owner, Kinder Morgan Canada, has sought assurances by the end of May that legal and other roadblocks to twinning the pipeline are removed, suspending non-essential spending on the $7 billion project until then.

The situation escalated further Monday as Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe indicated he will follow Alberta鈥檚 lead and provide for similar measures to restrict fuel shipments to B.C.

鈥淚f fuel tanks in British Columbia start to run dry because Alberta has turned the taps off, it won鈥檛 be Saskatchewan filling them up,鈥� Moe said in a social media post.

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The Trans Mountain pipeline has operated between Alberta, B.C. and Washington state since the mid-1950s, delivering gasoline, diesel and jet fuel as well as crude oil. Since the late 1980s it has intermittently shipped diluted bitumen from Alberta鈥檚 oil sands, which is the product B.C. opposes being shipped in larger amounts by tanker.

In the B.C. legislature, opposition MLAs continued to press Horgan and his ministers on the situation, asking about ongoing backups of lumber, grain and other commodities on rail lines.

Jobs Min says shortage of rail cars causing forest products, grain backups in BC Interior, "oil isn't transported in grain cars"

鈥� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)

Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston said he has written to CN Rail about the severe backlog of forest products in the B.C. Interior, and has been told the problem is a shortage of rail cars for grain and lumber.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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