Coastal GasLink, the TC Energy natural gas pipeline under construction between Dawson Creek and Kitimat, says it is aware of anonymous claims made on an anarchist website of a sa国际传媒渃oordinated sabotage attacksa国际传媒� on the project.
The article published on an anarchist website claims that sections of the Coastal GasLink pipeline have been vandalized over the past few months with a goal to sa国际传媒渃ontribute to the small delayssa国际传媒� in the already over-budget project.
sa国际传媒淲e drilled holes less than a penny wide in a section of pipe that had not yet been lowered into the trench. We covered the holes with fiberglass film, which temporarily prevents leaks in the pipes, but only lasts a few months,sa国际传媒� the article claims.
The 670-kilometre pipeline is now expected to cost around $14.5 billion and that could climb by another $1.2 billion if construction continues into 2024.
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sa国际传媒淲hile we have no evidence at this time to suggest tampering has occurred, we take every threat to the integrity of our pipeline infrastructure very seriously,sa国际传媒� CGL said in a media release on Monday, Feb. 27.
sa国际传媒淲e are fully cooperating with the RCMP in an investigation of these claims and as always, will prioritize the safety of our work crews and the communities around us. Our quality assurance team has initiated a review of the anarchist claims.sa国际传媒�
Meanwhile, the RCMP is not commenting on these latest allegations but does say that all incidents of reported damage to infrastructure or equipment are investigated fully.
Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, a media relations officer with the RCMP, said police are aware of sa国际传媒渙ngoing efforts by some individuals and groups to delay or obstruct the work of Coastal GasLink.sa国际传媒�
These latest claims follow what CGL calls sa国际传媒渁 concerning trend of escalating violencesa国际传媒� from an alleged axe attack at a Coastal GasLink site near Houston a year ago to an alleged arson attack on first responder vehicles in Smithers last October.
sa国际传媒淎ttacks to energy infrastructure should concern all Canadians. Regardless of their authenticity, we believe these claims are intended to delay our project and spread fear and violence,sa国际传媒� CGL said.
sa国际传媒淭hey must not be tolerated or accepted, and we believe most Canadians would agree.sa国际传媒�
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Skeena BC Liberal MLA Ellis Ross said he takes the websitesa国际传媒檚 claims sa国际传媒渧ery seriouslysa国际传媒� in a Feb. 27 interview with Black Press Media, adding the online article seems to be written by someone with knowledge of the project.
The article further details how welded sections of coated pipe are assessed before being lowered into the trench. After the trench is backfilled, they are tested under pressure. The holes were sealed in the hope that they would pass the first pressure test, but will have to be excavated and repaired before the pipeline is completed, the article says.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 somebody who understands how the logistics of the pipeline work,sa国际传媒� said Ross.
sa国际传媒淚 want to know what wesa国际传媒檙e going to do as a province to combat these terrorist activities.sa国际传媒�
Another article on the same website claims responsibility for burning RCMP vehicles and an ambulance in Smithers last October. Ross wants to know the results of investigations into that and of the on-site axe attack incident yielded.
Ross believes the website is part of a sophisticated, two-pronged campaign against the pipeline.
One is what he calls sa国际传媒渃oordinated assaultssa国际传媒� on pipeline workers and torching police vehicles. The other is in communicating through websites that are hard to track.
sa国际传媒淭his is dangerous. This is terrorism. I think itsa国际传媒檚 time that we address this violence,sa国际传媒� said Ross.
sa国际传媒淎nd those that condone this have got to be called out. This is not the society we want to live in.sa国际传媒�
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CGL added the thousands people working on major projects such as its pipeline deserve to work in a safe environment, sa国际传媒渨ithout fear of sabotage or other violent attacks, while they provide for their families and communities.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淐oastal GasLink is focused on safely completing this critical piece of energy infrastructure that will deliver critical Canadian LNG to the world and lasting prosperity to Canadians.sa国际传媒�
The company highlighted that inspections are done sa国际传媒渁t every step of the way during pipeline construction,sa国际传媒� from the time trenching begins to the point the pipeline is backfilled.
sa国际传媒淥ur teams use state-of-the-art pipeline safety systems to carefully inspect every section of pipe, not to mention the rigorous testing we do before the pipeline is commissioned,sa国际传媒� CGL wrote.
sa国际传媒淲e recognize that there are different opinions about projects like Coastal GasLink, however threats of tampering, sabotage, and violence are never justified.sa国际传媒�
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