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Trans Mountain Pipeline restarts after three-week pause due to B.C. floods

Click to play video: 'B.C. floods: Province extends state of emergency and gas rationing in some areas'
B.C. floods: Province extends state of emergency and gas rationing in some areas
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Monday B.C. is going to continue as rationing in the South Coast as the Trans Mountain Pipeline remains shut down. He said the government has also extended the provincial state of emergency until Dec. 14 – Nov 29, 2021

The Trans Mountain Pipeline has restarted “safely,” said the company, after a three-week pause due to safety risks posed by widespread flooding in B.C.

On Sunday, Trans Mountain confirmed it has completed “all necessary assessments, repairs, and construction of protective earthworks” needed to turn the taps back on.

“As part of this process Trans Mountain will monitor the line on the ground, by air and through our technology systems operated by our control centre,” it said on its website.

The pipeline was shut down as a precaution on Nov. 14, amid record-breaking rainfall that caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides across southern B.C.

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It was the first of four major storms to strike the province last month.

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Trans Mountain said Saturday there’s no evidence of “serious damage” to the pipeline, or the release of any product in the aftermath of the extreme weather.

Click to play video: 'B.C.’s fight for fuel: Trans Mountain hopes to restart pipeline at reduced capacity in days'
B.C.’s fight for fuel: Trans Mountain hopes to restart pipeline at reduced capacity in days

The 1,150-kilometre Trans Mountain Pipeline ships roughly 300,000 barrels of oil per day to terminals in B.C. from Edmonton. It also supplies fuel to Washington.

With the pipeline shut down, the B.C. government issued an emergency order on Nov. 19 limiting consumers in storm-stricken parts of the province to 30 litres of gasoline in a single fill-up.

On Nov. 29, it extended gas-rationing to Dec. 14. The fuel conservation measures apply to residents of the Lower Mainland to Hope, Sea to Sky, Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island.

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Essential vehicles remain exempt.

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