Storms in BC Shut Down the Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline

This week’s rainstorms in British Columbia forced the temporary closure of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline.

The line can transport 300,000 barrels of crude oil and refined products per day from Alberta to the Pacific Coast. Trans Mountain Corporation said work on an expansion project has also been stopped.

“As a precaution, Trans Mountain has shut down the Trans Mountain Pipeline due to widespread flooding and debris flows in the area around Hope, B.C.,” a company spokeswoman said in an email.

Heavy rain and flooding have impacted negatively in Canada’s westernmost province. Landslides have trapped between 80 and 100 vehicles on highways, forcing the town of Merritt to evacuate.

With the pipeline shut down, Western Canada Select crude for December delivery remained unaffected. WCS closed at US$19.15 per barrel, or 70 cents below Friday’s settlement price.

Original source material for this article taken from here