B.C.’s Horgan defends fight to both retain and restrict Alberta oil imports
YELLOWKNIFE — B.C. Premier John Horgan says he is fighting to both retain and restrict Alberta energy imports because while the existing shipments are vital to his province, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would see the unrefined oilsands oil go somewhere else.
“The proposal to twin the pipeline is not to send more product to the Lower Mainland, but to export to other jurisdictions,” Horgan told reporters after a meeting of western premiers wrapped up Wednesday in Yellowknife.
“There’s a distinct difference between those two things. One is diluted bitumen. The other is gasoline or jet fuel to be used by (B.C.) citizens to move around freely.”
He made the comments after he was asked to explain why his government is going to court to determine if it has the right to regulate heavy oil imports while at the same time trying to stop Alberta from curtailing existing oil shipments to B.C.