The father of the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX) expansion to the West Coast says he’d do it again without any regrets..And Ian Anderson, the retired CEO of Trans Mountain Corp., urged Canadians to be patient and promised the benefits of completing the troubled line will far outweigh the costs — for generations to come..“I absolutely would. I think the national importance and the impact we can have on this nation and and the lessons that we can share all make it worthwhile,” Anderson told The Western Standard on the sidelines of the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary on Wednesday..The Alberta treasury will see immediate benefits in the form of lower heavy oil price discounts which will result in higher royalty revenue, he added..Anderson was the one who did the heavy lifting to get TMX off the ground when it was first proposed more than 12 years ago. He was the one who personally built relationships with native groups and municipalities along the route and won the hard-earned consensus that eventually got it — mostly — in the ground.. TransMountain (TMX) expansion routeTransMountain (TMX) expansion route .This reporter reminded him he was a young editor at the Daily Oil Bulletin when it was first proposed and that everybody is a little greyer, older and a whole lot wiser..“Yeah,” he sighed. “I can barely remember, it was a long time ago.”.A decade later, TMX is substantially complete, apart from a 1.4 kilometre section near Kamloops, and more than $20 billion over budget after court challenges, protests, pandemics and flood of Biblical proportions..A hearing wrapped up in Calgary at the Canadian Energy Regulator on Tuesday that will ultimately determine whether it begins pumping oil by the end of this year or possibly into 2025..By contrast, the Canadian Pacific Railroad took only five years to finish using 19th century technology. .Anderson had no comment on the rerouting other than to say the company has plenty of experience operating in environmentally and culturally sensitive areas — Jasper National Park — and that he’s confident the issues can be worked out in a way that allows TMX to move ahead while respecting sacred native sites..He also declined to comment on the tolling issue with shippers, who are protesting at having to recoup the overruns in the form of higher shipping costs — other than to shrug and say he’s happily retired..When asked if he thought the federal government were good stewards of the project, again he demurred. He said he personally built the management team and the feds have taken a hands-off approach and avoided turning it into a political football..“The company has managed the project, the personnel that are left there have managed it, the federal government have not have not been hands on. The cost of the project will be what it will be regardless of ownership.”.When asked if he thought the pipeline was still economically viable, Anderson was also unequivocal in his response..“Oh, it certainly is. Absolutely. It's going to bring benefits to Canadians through taxes, royalties, jobs for generations," he said. "So I think that, you know, the long term benefit to Canada, of the Trans Mountain expansion is going to be well witnessed by Canadians. And that, you know, whoever owns it ultimately, is going to prosper from that ownership.”.As to who that might ultimately be?.Chief Billy Morin, who leads the Treaty 6 First Nations in Alberta, offered a one-word response if his group is still interested in an equity stake: “Yes.”.Morin was formerly the elected chief of the Enoch First Nation near Edmonton, where the pipeline originates..An unabashed capitalist, Morin was previously a special advisor to Premier Danielle Smith and is presently managing director of Axxcelus Capital Advisory, a native-based venture capital firm looking to partner in energy infrastructure including pipelines and carbon capture projects..He confirmed Treaty 6 would be interested in acquiring a 25% to 45% stake in TMX, along with a project management role and would be looking to levels of government, including Alberta, to help finance it with loan guarantees. .Although the federal government has floated the idea of selling all or part of its interest to native groups, it’s contingent on the actual completion of the line..“So that's where I see the province coming into play is that loan guarantee.”
