The Canadian government has retained the former head of a pipeline project it rejected to assess the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and to advise a new crown corporation that will manage system expansion.
Under contract to the Canada Development Investment Corp., John Carruthers will conduct due diligence on the system connecting Edmonton, Alta., with Burnaby, BC, according to press reports.
As president of Northern Gateway Pipelines, Carruthers oversaw Enbridge’s proposal for a twin pipeline between Alberta and northern British Colombia.
The federal government rejected that proposal in November 2016 while approving Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion and Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement between Alberta and the US (OGJ Online, Nov. 30, 2016).
The government last month agreed to acquire Trans Mountain to ensure completion of the expansion project after Kinder Morgan said it was stymied by opposition of the British Colombia and local governments and suspended work (OGJ Online, May 29, 2018).
