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A group of Richmond residents opposed to the creation of a 15-kilometre jet fuel pipeline to YVR airport via the Fraser River protested the controversial plan on Saturday.

The pipeline is intended to replace an existing 40-year-old line that runs from Burnaby to YVR. The line is now considered too small in light of the growth of the province and Vancouver's airport.

Dozens of members of the group Vancouver Airport Pipeline Opposition for Richmond as well as the Richmond mayor gathered outside the last planned public meeting on the YVR fuel delivery project to voice their concerns.

"There is definitely some environmental risks that are intolerable," Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie told CTV News. "Now what is on the table may be cost-effective, and it may please the airline consortium, but it doesn't please the city of Richmond."

Last August, Environment Canada said the current plan poses "a new and unacceptable risk to the locally, nationally and internationally important fish and wildlife populations of the Fraser River Estuary, including migratory birds and species at risk."

Brodie told CTV News upgrading the Burnaby pipeline to deliver jet fuel is a better and less hazardous option.

"To do it through the existing pipeline, that's the way to do it, not this system which brings tankers up the river and has all the risk inherent in that delivery system," he said.

But the consortium of airlines spearheading the project disagrees.

"The project in general is necessary for expected growth for the airport and the region," said project director Adrian Pollard of the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation.

In response to questions regarding the planned pipeline's safety he said, "absolutely it's safe. We're covering all our bases."

Pollard said his group has been addressing issues raised by Environment Canada in meetings in order "to give them a better understanding of the response strategies that we've put in place."

Environment Minister Terry Lake isn't taking a position until the environmental assessment office completes its report and makes a recommendation.

"We want to make sure decisions are based on as much evidence as possible. We know this is something of concern for people in Richmond particularly, so we want to make sure we have all the relevant information," he said.

Although B.C. is leading the joint approval process, the federal government also has an input. The province is expected to make a decision later this year, and citizens can still give their opinions on the project until Feb. 1.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos