Tiny hummingbirds have forced the construction of a controversial pipeline in western Canada to be halted.
Campaigners have tried fruitlessly for years to stop the multibillion-dollar project, but after the discovery of an Anna’s hummingbird nest in a tree felled during the works, construction was ordered to stop for the next four months.
The migratory bird is not endangered, but it is protected under federal law, and community groups in southern British Columbia had raised the alarm that TransMountain was chopping down trees in vulnerable nesting areas.
In a statement, the company said it tries to clear trees outside of critical nesting seasons, but admitted “this is not always feasible”.
Marred by cost overruns in recent months, the TransMountain project, which was purchased by Justin Trudeau’s government in 2018, will nearly triple capacity of the existing pipeline, moving 890,000 barrels of crude oil each day to the Pacific Ocean when complete.
...The Guardian
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