Construction paused on stretch of Coastal GasLink pipeline amid stop work order

British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office has issued stop work orders for four sections of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

The office said the orders were the result of pipeline owner TC Energy violating regulations on erosion and sediment control at four sites northeast of Prince George. About 15 kilometres of pipeline is affected.

The violations could potentially affect the upper Anzac River watershed, the office said.

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Just one week prior, the Environmental Assessment Office issued another stop work order on a three-kilometre stretch in the same area, after it found sediment-laden waters flowing into the Anzac River.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the company said it had proactively halted work along a 20-kilometre stretch of the pipeline route before the most recent stop work orders were issued.

“Two weeks prior to the latest orders being issued, we halted the majority of construction in the area, so that we could enhance our erosion and sediment control measures during this challenging Spring melt season,” the company said.

It said it had also paused construction at multiple sites across “work section 3” between Tumbler Ridge and Vanderhoof, and was dedicating additional crews to address erosion and sediment control.

“To ensure we are doing all we can during this important season, we have launched a third-party expert review of our erosion and sediment control plans and their implementation in Section 3,” it said.

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“This review will help us identify if any additional measures are required to support our response.”

The controversial pipeline is being built to transport natural gas from B.C.’s Peace Region to a gas export terminal in Kitimat on the west coast.

According to the company’s latest construction update, issued in late April, the work on the pipeline is nearly 87 per cent complete.

Construction on the line has been a flashpoint for years, with stiff opposition from environmental groups and some Wet’suwet’en leaders.

While the 20 elected Indigenous councils along the pipeline route have signed benefits agreements with Coastal GasLink, they face opposition from Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who claim exclusive jurisdiction over traditional, unceded lands.