The mayor of Kamloops is calling the federal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline a major win.

Ken Christian says it is a win for the economy, for jobs, and for the environment with a commitment by the Trudeau government to use pipeline revenues to help transition to a clean energy economy.

And Christian says a pipeline is the best way to ship oil noting the focus on marine protections.

“It is a legitimate concern but from what I have read the precautions they have in place to deal with any sort of tanker incident is far more stringent than the precautions that are in place to deal with a train derailment in to the North Thompson river. No one seems to care about that and I do. Longer and longer trains are moving through our city packing oil to the lower mainland who say we don’t need oil.”

At the end of the day Christian says a pipeline is a much safer way to transport oil.

“It does not make sense to ship oil products by rail. It is far more efficient, and it uses far less greenhouse gas to use a pipeline, and it is safer. It is safer for the salmon stocks. When you run rail lines down the valley bottoms next to rivers it is dangerous. The added bonus is the government has committed to use the profits and the funds from this to further support greening the country.”

He says the construction phase of the pipeline should also help to soften the economic blows communities are taking in the forestry crisis.