Canadian Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Threatens Critically Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales

     Seattle, Washington - Orca Conservancy continues to urge the Canadian government to reject the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline, on behalf of the critically endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs).  This population of SRKWs is a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and is listed as ENDANGERED on both the Species At Risk Act (SARA) in Canada, as well as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), in the United States.The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, if granted permission to move forward, will increase the amount of oil transported from Edmonton to Burnaby’s Westbridge Terminal from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day. That  means tanker traffic will increase through Burrard Inlet, the Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait and then out through the Strait of Juan de Fuca by nearly seven times -- and tanker traffic will go from 60 tankers per year to over 420 per year.This amount of tanker shipping traffic will increase the potential of a major oil spill happening (greater than 10,000 barrels) every seven years. Crude oil has a much greater impact on marine environments than refined gasoline products and crude oil is thicker and heavier, so it does not easily evaporate. In the case of the Exxon Valdez, a population of killer whales (AT1) lost most of its reproductive age members due to the spill, and is now headed towards irreparable extinction. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, of all the threats posed to orca whales in the region, the threat of a major oil spill is the single greatest risk to the species, and such a spill could easily eliminate our resident orca population. This will not be a matter of IF it will happen, but WHEN."While many may consider this critically endangered population to be 'urbanized', we cannot continually throw obstacles in their way and then expect them to recover sufficiently to historical numbers," said Orca Conservancy Board President Shari Tarantino. "This population is on the brink of extinction, which means if we lose the SRKWs, the widespread significance of negative impacts that will unfold on the economy and ecology of this region will be unimaginable."While even one major oil spill will harm fish and wildlife, drinking water, farmland and human health, the public needs to be aware that Kinder Morgan has had four significant leaks from its fossil fuel infrastructure in the Lower Mainland alone since 2005 -- including numerous other incidents further afield. (See the Conversations for Responsible Economic Development (CRED) report for more information)."After over a decade of federal protection, the population of SRKWs has yet to show signs of significant recovery with 82 members total as of August 2016, which is still six members fewer than when they were listed in 2005, said Tarantino. "Clearly, we are going backwards. This potential failure -- of not effectively protecting and doing what is necessary to recover this endangered species -- is directly related to a lack of political will to uphold laws currently in place."Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has spoken favorably about the Kinder Morgan pipeline in the past and his government is said to consider it a net-positive for its so-called “progressive” political movement nationally. Though opposed by Vancouver’s Mayor, Gregor Robertson, it would be popular in Alberta, where Premier Rachel Notley’s New Democratic Party government is advancing carbon-emissions limits favored by Trudeau. Trudeau’s Cabinet has until December to make a final decision on Trans Mountain.Tarantino continued, "If the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project is granted permission to move forward, it will be another nail in the coffin for the Southern Resident killer whale population. Collectively, we cannot allow that to happen."##Orca Conservancy is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) Washington State non-profit organization working on behalf of Orcinus orca, the killer whale, and protecting the wild places on which it depends. The organization's urgent attention is on the endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs). These three pods, J-Pod, K-Pod and L-Pod, were decimated by the depletion of prey resources, the accumulation of marine toxins, and the destruction of salmon spawning and nearshore habitats.