British Columbia has amended the environmental assessment certificate conditions for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and informed the federal government that it still has concerns about potential marine oil spills.

The changes announced in late February focus on the impacts of marine shipping and potential oil spills from vessels related to the pipeline project.

The current 1,150-kilometer pipeline capacity is set to nearly triple, transporting 300,000 barrels per day of petroleum products from Alberta to British Columbia, which will significantly increase the number of tankers carrying oil for export.

Environment Minister George Heyman and Energy Minister Bruce Ralston, in a letter conveying the province’s updated conditions to federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, urged adoption of a series of recommendations that would address the province’s concerns after consulting with Indigenous peoples, municipalities, government agencies, and governmental bodies.

Heyman and Ralston wrote in the letter dated February 24 that Ottawa will more effectively address these concerns as part of the regulations and measures under federal jurisdiction.

The province made changes under its jurisdiction and sought to avoid duplicating existing federal regulations, the province stated in a press release.

One of British Columbia’s recommendations encourages Transport Canada to "expand its oversight" to include work done by Western Canada Marine Response Corp.

Specifically, Transport Canada should include shoreline cleanup, planning for submerged and sunken oil response, volunteer coordination, and wildlife and waste management in the event of a spill.

The ministers wrote, "We strongly urge you to carefully consider these important recommendations and take action on them … as soon as possible, so that the (Trans Mountain Expansion) operates in the safest possible manner."

Among the new conditions in British Columbia is a requirement for Trans Mountain, a federally owned company, to provide a health risk report in the event of a marine oil spill. It must specify measures necessary to reduce human exposure to contamination and adverse health effects and identify which authorities will be responsible.

Another condition requires Trans Mountain to submit a baseline report on the coastline of British Columbia in areas that could be affected by an oil spill, including the English Bay of Vancouver and the Georgia Strait. The report must include information on land use, infrastructure, plants, and animals, as stated in the order.

A Trans Mountain spokesperson said it is reviewing the changes to determine next steps.

Energy activist Andrew Radzik said the provincial changes are welcome, but gaps remain.

Instead, the province relies on federal regulations regarding marine shipping and spill response that it has criticized as being too vague, Radzik said.

Transport Canada requires accredited marine response organizations to address 500 meters of shoreline daily, and Western Canada Marine Response Corp has indicated it is working to increase its capacity to 3,000 meters.

Radzik said current regulations and emergency plans for the pipeline expansion lack some basic details, such as exactly what "response" to the entire shoreline means.

Regarding human health risks, Radzik said it is a step forward for British Columbia to request an outline of the roles and responsibilities of different government levels and pipeline operators in reducing exposure after a potential spill.

He said, however, it is not clear who will pay the bill for those health measures and what portion the province will have to pay.

In response to a question about why British Columbia’s new conditions do not include more specific requirements for marine spill preparedness and response, the Ministry of Environment said the changes reflect specific standards it had to follow in its review.