(Please ignore the date on this page, the date stamped is the date the page was created)
Most people know the proposed pipeline is bad for British Columbia; however they are not well educated on exactly why it is bad. Below we will post articles we think you need to read, or share with other who are not sure about the facts.
This page will be updated on a regular ongoing basis, please check back often.
Due to the importance of this information will we make this a fluid page, meaning we will be updating and adding information daily or even hourly depending on how quickly we find new information. Please share this information with everyone, and please remember, this is a “proposed” pipeline and you have every right as a citizen of Canada to object to it even if Harper wishes to call you “radical” simply because you oppose the pipeline.
Archives – To speed up searches for older articles we will archive each previous month. We may need to post a 15 day archive for each month due to the sheer size of this page. We would then combine it at the end of the month to make a monthy archive. The archives will be PDF files, that are very easy to search using the search box in PDF, allowing readers to quickly find an article.
Articles from Feb 1st to Feb 15th 2012
Last updated: Feb 28th, 2012 at 4:59 pm PST
The Northern View - Prince Rupert City Council votes unanimously to oppose Enbridge Pipeline
Excerpt: “Therefore, be it resolved that the City of Prince Rupert be opposed to any expansion of bulk crude oil tanker traffic as well as bitumen export in Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound in British Columbia. “And be it further resolved that the City of Prince Rupert petition the federal government to establish a legislated ban on bulk crude oil tanker traffic and bitumen export through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound in British Columbia.”
Excerpt: If 225 tankers were to carry 318 million liters through Hecate Straight each year as proposed, they would ply some of the riskiest waters in the world. Hecate Straight runs to a depth of 200-400 meters, getting shallower to the north. Such shallow waters create steep waves that are difficult to navigate. During the winter months, a low pressure system causes a succession of storms with heavy precipitation and gale force winds. In fact, the Cape St. James weather station at the southern tip of the Haida Gwaii has recorded the strongest winds in Canada. Scientists and insurance companies expect the oceans to become increasingly dangerous as a result of climate change. In recent years, vessel losses due to weather have risen by more than 10 per cent. In The Wave, Susan Casey recounts the winter of ’97-98, a particularly stormy season during which 27 bulk carriers were lost within four months.
Prince Rupert is latest north coast city to oppose Enbridge Northern Gateway - Winnipeg Free Press
Excerpt: PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. - City councillors in Prince Rupert, B.C., are the latest to officially oppose the Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) Northern Gateway oil pipeline project. The north coast city has unanimously adopted a resolution recently approved by the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District outlining the potential devastation of an oil spill from tankers carrying Alberta crude to Asian markets.
Europe’s other crisis: Greener than thou | The Economist
Excerpt: WHILE Europe’s leaders battle for the euro, another signature creation of the European Union (EU), one of the world’s most ambitious climate change policies, is also under attack. That is largely to its credit. Unlike most governments, the Europeans are actually trying to cut emissions of greenhouse gases and, in a globalised economy, this is starting to test trade rules and inconvenience others.
Canadian oil sands: defusing the carbon bomb : Nature News & Comment
Excerpt: Are the oil sands dirtier than conventional crude in terms of greenhouse gas emissions? Yes, generally speaking. But there are many varieties of crude as well as various production methods that factor into cumulative life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions. Oil from Norway and Saudi Arabia is easy to produce and relatively clean in terms of overall emissions. But depending on how much energy goes into production and other factors — such as the flaring of the natural gas produced as a by-product, which is common in Nigeria — the dirtiest conventional oils could be just as bad or even worse than crude from the oil sands.
China has not been behaving like a friend
Excerpt: “Enbridge documents filed with the National Energy Board confirm that, once the Northern Gateway pipeline is built,” Allan wrote, “oil producers plan to restrict supply of conventional and heavy crude oil flowing to Ontario refineries. “The pipeline will be used to redirect 20 per cent of the sup-ply currently going to refineries in Ontario to refineries in northeast Asia. Reduced access to reasonably priced feedstock will threaten the economics of Canadian refineries and many will struggle to survive.”
Letter: Bring in law of ‘ecocide’ - Your Letters - Sussex Express
Excerpt: There is, however, a glimmer of light, an idea which I believe is the most important to have emerged so far in the effort to restrain the destructive power of profit. It is barrister Polly Higgins and her campaign to bring in a law of ecocide. Polly Higgins’ idea is to make business responsible for its actions not under property law but under trust law. This would make business responsible not only to their shareholders but also to future inhabitants of Earth. If it can be proved that a business activity is detrimental to the future inhabitants of Earth, under trust law the business could be prosecuted.
Wolfs pay price for humans oil addiction. - Auburn Journal
Excerpt: If Alberta Canada’s tar sands oil fields are fully developed, an area of boreal rainforest the size of Florida will be eviscerated, leaving in its wake only giant ponds of toxic wastewater. To make up for the fact that extracting tar sands oil is threatening caribou herds by destroying vast swaths of rainforest habitat in Alberta, the Canadian government has called for strychnine poisoning and aerial shooting of thousands of wolves in areas of tar sands mining. This plan is both cruel and deeply misguided.
Big oil, democracy and people power | World Development Movement
Excerpt: Big Oil gets in the way of democracy… Perhaps unsurprisingly, the oil companies making a killing in the Northern Alberta oil fields where tar sands were first found (though they are now being explored in Madagascar, Venezuela and elsewhere), decided, along with the Canadian Government, that they didn’t want their dirty oil to be known as ‘dirty oil’. So they started trying to undermine democratic processes all over Europe to keep their product from becoming widely known as the planet-killer that it is.
Transport Canada’s Clearing of Enbridge Ignores the Facts
Excerpt: What an interesting pair of stories – on the one hand Transport Canada has said that tanker traffic is safe on our pristine west coast while another tells of Enbridge repairing its faulty pipeline that resulted in yet another spill for the company this past May in the Northwest Territories. Now sisters and brothers, repeat after me: LEAKS AND SPILLS FROM THE TAR SANDS TO THE COAST AND THEREAFTER, DOWN THE COAST ARE INEVITABLE AND THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE CATASTROPHES. We are being subjected to an Orwellian barrage of bullshit.
Don’t ignore First Nations rights in pipeline debate
Excerpt: In January, a drawn-out consultation was begun on plans for the Northern Gateway Pipeline. The media have liberally reported the overwhelming opposition of First Nations along the proposed route. Enbridge Corp., the promoter, has tried to placate that opposition by offering First Nations business and employment development opportunities during construction. When the Driftpile First Nation (Treaty 8 area of northern Alberta) presented to the pipeline panel, the chief and elders testified that oil, gas and logging have already hurt their traditional hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering activities.
Excerpt: National Geographic explorer-in-residence – and northern B.C. resident – Wade Davis has a modest proposal when asked about burgeoning mine and pipeline developments in northern B.C. such as the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which has come under widespread criticism and vigorous government defence. For every drop of toxic waste dumped or leaked into northern First Nations’ water supply, he proposes, an equivalent drop is poured into the local swimming pool used by industry executives’ children. For every tree cut, a rose bush is severed in the executives’ home gardens.
Our dogs’ ancestors victimized by tar sands
Excerpt: You all remember the dogs in Whistler being culled? Ironically the story is in the news again after tougher animal welfare regulations have been brought forward by the SPCA. We all remember hearing about how the dogs were killed yet none of us could understand why. Well in essence, the same thing is happening to the wolves in Northern Alberta. In typical backwards government logic, they find it more cost effective to kill the wolves which prey on caribou, than to preserve the natural habitat of the caribou.
Vancouver councillor to table motion on Kinder Morgan pipeline
Excerpt: Kinder Morgan’s plans to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline will be the focus of a motion set to come before Vancouver city council next week. The motion is being tabled by Green Councillor Adriane Carr. “A motion directly from council, which hasn’t happened before to Kinder Morgan the company, to make sure that they’re clear that we want to be informed of their plans, and my understanding is that that would actually increase the obligation of the national energy board, to ensure that there will be public hearings in Vancouver, should any application come forward from Kinder Morgan.”
Troubled waters ahead for tankers
Excerpt: Bigger oil tankers, and more of them, may be headed to B.C.’s coast as companies plan to greatly expand shipments in local waters. The plans, which include a proposal for monster Suezmax-sized tankers to pass under the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, have led to fears over an increased risk of oil spills. “Alberta oil may mean jobs, but we’re the ones absorbing the risk,” says Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer, who chairs the city’s environment committee.
Bella Bella Student Hunger Strike Against Proposed Enbridge Pipeline
Excerpt: The students and staff of Bella Bella Community School stand together in opposition to the proposed Enbridge Pipeline that would bring supertankers filled with oil along the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, jeopardizing the environment upon which we rely for sustenance, both physical and spiritual. We will be engaged in a 48-hour hunger strike from April 1st at 4 pm to April 3rd at 4 pm. This coincides with the Enbridge hearings in our community. We hope to open a dialogue with other concerned students from around the province and communicate through video conferencing during our hunger strike. We invite your school or community to join us in our strike and help make a statement that can’t be ignored.
Excerpt: Enbridge also has a dim view of how the proceedings went, but for different reasons. The company says that the biggest problem was that presenters flagrantly disobeyed the panel’s rules and that claims of intervenors being muzzled by these rules are the result of people having unrealistic expectations born of not being properly informed of how the process is supposed to work. “I don’t think the media has done a very poor job of explaining what the oral hearings are all about and what the restrictions are . . . the expectation was that it would be an exchange of views between the people presenting at the hearings and Enbridge. That’s not what they’re set up for,” says the energy company’s chief representative, Paul Stanway.
Northern Gateway: Pipeline to Ecological Disaster
Excerpt: Enbridge’s proposal to build a 1,172 km Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat through some of the most challenging and remote territory on the planet exposes wild rivers, landscapes and a pristine BC coast to inevitable oil spills. This is the most obvious argument against building this project. But a closer and deeper scrutiny reveals more fundamental flaws that are not immediately obvious. While Enbridge may assume responsibility for the safety of its pipeline, offered with the usual over-confidence of a developer promoting its project, it cannot claim responsibility for the fleet of international tankers that would arrive almost daily to transport the oil to foreign ports. Such tanker traffic is risky enough in open waterways and accessible harbours.
Excerpt: You know that old saying, “When the U.S. sneezes, Canada catches a cold.” It still applies. The United States remains our biggest trading partner. What happens there affects everything from our tourism to our exports. But now, Canada is facing a bigger threat to its economic health. It’s called Dutch Disease — and it’s complicated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s newly acquired China Syndrome. Stung by U.S. President Barack Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, Harper is looking to China’s government-owned oil companies. Dutch Disease isn’t about tulips or wooden shoes or even sick elm trees. It’s about Canada’s steady conversion to a petro-state, fuelled by the rapid development of Alberta’s oilsands. It means that, more and more, Canada’s economy will be subject to the price of oil.
There is a way to clean up ‘dirty’ oil’s problems - The Globe and Mail
Excerpt: Canada’s bitumen resources have a problem, and neither the companies that wish to exploit bitumen or the governments trying to help them seem to understand it. Bitumen, from which oil is produced, takes more energy per barrel to get at than conventional oil pumped from the ground. Because it needs more energy, bitumen-derived oil produces more greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming than conventional oil.
Excerpt: Transport Canada has approved supertanker traffic through Douglas Channel to Kitimat. I guess this means the government guarantees no tsunamis over the life of the Northern Gateway pipeline. But a recent study by Chris Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University, estimates a one-in three chance of our coast suffering a magnitude 8+ earthquake within the next 50 years. That’s pretty high stakes. Tsunami heights from such a quake could reach 10 to 30 metres. What would happen to a 320,000-tonne supertanker in port or navigating one of the narrow sections of Douglas Channel when struck by a tsunami of that size?
Mississippi River Barge Collision Leads To Oil Spill
Excerpt: Officials said the collision happened around 2 a.m. about 50 miles upriver from New Orleans. The wreck tore a gash into the double-hulled tank of the tanker barge, which was being pushed by a tugboat. The collision tore a 10-foot by 5-foot gash above the waterline of the double-hulled tanker barge and oil spewed into the river, the Coast Guard said. Neither vessel sank and no one was hurt, Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said. He said the leak has been contained. The tank contained about 148,000 gallons of oil, but the spill was substantially less than the tank’s contents, the Coast Guard said.
Editorial Comment: There goes the excuse that double hull is so safe!
Excerpt: Transport Canada’s report stated, “There will always be residual risk in any project,” but “no regulatory concerns have been identified for the vessels, vessel operations, the proposed routes, navigability, other waterway users and the marine terminal operations associated with vessels supporting the Northern Gateway project.”
Natives angry as Northern Gateway pipeline proceeds | CTV Edmonton
Excerpt: First Nations along British Columbia’s north and central coast say it’s unfathomable that Transport Canada approves the use of oil supertankers in the province’s treacherous inlets and marine passages. Coastal First Nations executive director Art Sterritt says the department ruling ignores safety issues such as poor weather, human error, and the narrow, unforgiving waterways.
Tories accused of tar sands dodge / Britain / Home - Morning Star
Excerpt: Green campaigners accused the government today of “sitting on the fence” in a vote that blocked efforts to ban polluting tar sands from Europe. Britain was among the EU countries whose officials abstained from a decision to amend a directive to rule oil extracted in this way more polluting than conventional transport fuels. Doing so could effectively ban the use of oil from tar sands extracted in Alberta, Canada, as transport fuel in Europe. Environmentalists had feared the coalition government would bow to lobbying by Canada and oil companies and vote against efforts to ban the fuel.
Hannah McKinnon: The Truth About the EU’s Position on the Tar Sands
Excerpt: Fuel experts from the European Union have decided that the important decision to label high-carbon fuels (including tar sands) should be passed onto publicly accountable elected ministers. This probably wasn’t a bad idea — now ministers who have promised to take action on climate change will be more accountable as to whether they will listen to science, or instead bow down to Canadian and industry lobbyists
Tar sands vs human beings - thestar.com
Excerpt: Facts about one particular aspect of tar sands emissions will likely translate into a fact and rationalization of economic policy. What are the other aspects not accounted for? Permanent destruction of boreal forest, an irreplaceable carbon sink, permanent contamination of water in a province where water is increasingly scarce as it is lost to global warming of glaciers, ocean transport of tar sands oil in Kyoto-exempt ships running on bunker fuel, and worst of all — permanent destruction of peoples’ health and livelihood.
Enbridge donates to Napanee OPP - Napanee Guide - Ontario, CA
Editorial Comment: Heads up folks, since when did bribery become legal in Canada?
Northern Gateway pipeline clears hurdle | Calgary | News | Calgary Sun
Editorial Comment: There is a big difference between being cleared and being fast tracked, this was fast tracked, but then it was after all the Calgary Sun who wrote this article.
Terrace Standard - Too much risk with Northern Gateway pipeline
Excerpt: I believe British Columbia’s pristine coastal environment does not support a project like the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline and that the costs associated with it will greatly outweigh whatever benefit it will bring. We will lose any claims we have as a world heritage site and of the primeval beauty we are so proud of. Pristine steelhead fishing and the great outdoors – the losses to tourism alone would make the pipeline a failure even without a spill.
Northern Gateway: Pipeline to Problems
Excerpt: While Enbridge may assume responsibility for the safety of its pipeline - offered with the usual over-confidence of a developer promoting its project - it cannot claim responsibility for the fleet of international tankers that would arrive almost daily to transport the oil to foreign ports. Such tanker traffic is risky enough in open waterways and accessible harbours. But a trip to Kitimat and back to sea again would require huge and notoriously unmanoeuvrable ships to navigate 580 km of narrow, winding channels. Reefs, storms, tide rips, fog, extreme waves and complex course changes make the passage treacherous. And who guarantees the quality of the ships and seamanship that would ply BC waters? Foreign captains and crews on vessels registered in countries of convenience introduce risks for oils spills that are beyond the control of Enbridge.
Tar sands - cheap energy versus environmental concern - Public Service Europe
Excerpt: Friends of the Earth’s Energy campaigner Tony Bosworth said: “Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest transport fuels, EU ministers must vote to keep them out of Europe or our ability to tackle climate change will be undermined. Motorists across Europe are already paying a heavy price for our failure to wean the motor industry off expensive oil. It’s time to fast-track the development of more efficient vehicles that burn less fuel and cleaner sources of power.” But European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard claimed that the failure to agree a way forward at Thursday’s meeting was actually a triumph as it was not a “no” vote to the plan. She said: “With all the lobbyism against the European Commission proposal, I feared that member state experts would have rejected the proposal in today’s experts committee. I am glad that this was not the case. Now our proposal will go to ministers and I hope governments will realise that unconventional fuels, of course, need to account for their considerably higher emissions through separate values.”
‘It’s Going to Be War’: First Nations Battle Canadian Tar Sands | Common Dreams
Excerpt: The indigenous First Nations of Canada, along with environmentalists and civil society groups, are gearing up for an epic battle as the oil giant Enbridge continues to press for its ‘Northern Gateway’ pipeline that would transport tar sands oil from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The fight against the Keystone XL has won at least a temporary victory in the United States, but its Canadian counterpart, despite vocal opposition by environmentalists and community members along its westward route, has been largely championed by the ruling conservative government in Ottawa.
Human rights lawyer warns feds’ internet surveillance bill could lead to massive internet sweep
Excerpt: But a number of opposition MPs said they agreed the stage may be set for a significant increase in police and CSIS powers to mount intelligence surveillance on a range of protest movements. “It would be easy for the police to track cellphone communications, cellphone numbers, it might be easy to track people who are protesting democratically, and in fact my question to Toews on that first day was whether it would make it easier for the government to track people who are freely and peacefully expressing their democratic voice,” said Mr. Scarpaleggia. “It’s a question that needs to be answered.”
Editorial Comment: So if you get caught doing what I am doing you might find yourself lined up to moving to a new jail cell. Welcome to Communist Canada, the extended home of the Panda Revolution.
Feds have to step up if Enbridge pipeline to get go ahead: Prentice
Excerpt: The federal government has to step up its involvement, consulting with First Nations and developing an ocean management plan for tanker traffic if the Enbridge pipeline is to go ahead as planned, former cabinet minister Jim Prentice believes. The National Energy Board is currently holding hearings on the $5.5 billion dollar pipeline project which will carry bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands across Northern British Columbia to Kitimat, where it will be shipped by tanker to Asia. And that process should continue, said Prentice, who is now senior executive vice-president and vice-chairman at CIBC.
Editorial Comment: The theory remains intact, if you can buy out the Indians, then we can divide and conquer all opposition. “Sorry guys, it’s not going to happen”
Northern Gateway tankers said low risk - Business - CBC News
Excerpt: A review by Transport Canada into the Northern Gateway project says huge oil tankers can safely travel in and out of the port of Kitimat, B.C. The department has filed its report to the regulatory panel weighing Enbridge Inc.’s controversial project, which would connect Alberta crude to Asian markets via a shipping terminal at Kitimat. It says there will always be residual risk in any project, but it hasn’t found any regulatory concerns with Northern Gateway.
Editorial Comment: The backwards declaration of what Jesus spoke: If you don’t seek the truth, you won’t find the truth. Transport Canada has no proven record of having done any proper assessment in regards to tanker traffic on the West Coast that supports this declaration, it is simply a case of lets simply make a declaration that it is safe.
Enbridge Boss Hopes Northern Gateway Supporters Will Speak Up
Editorial Comment: Dear Enbridge, here is our free promo “We wish you luck finding people that have less than a 100 grand income that have the time or concern to speak up for you.” It must be hell trying to find normal working Canadian support for your billion dollar pipedream.
First Nations outraged at Northern Gateway safety approval | MyMcMurray Portal
Excerpt: Coastal First Nations say they’re shocked, and claim that approving supertankers in B.C.’s inlets ignores safety issues. They say their own study showed a tanker spill could cause 23-billion dollars of damage.
Transport Canada approves Enbridge’s supertanker routes
Excerpt: Supertankers loaded with Alberta crude can safely navigate waterways near the Kitimat, B.C. terminal linked to Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, a Transport Canada review has concluded. The federal department determined three shipping routes proposed by Enbridge are “appropriate” and contain no obstructions for the 250 oil tankers the company expects would frequent the terminal each year, to take away some 30 million tonnes of crude annually. A quarter of those tankers would weigh 320,000 tonnes, three times larger than any vessels to have visited Kitimat Harbour since the 1950s. Including proposed liquefied natural gas terminals in the area, there could be 415 additional oil tankers, liquefied natural gas carriers and bulk carriers calling at Kitimat, which Transport Canada deemed is “not a significant increase and does not cause concerns with vessel traffic density.”
Editorial Comment: Well you have to give the Conservatives credit, regardless of how many Canadians this will hurt, the Alberta’s CU-DE-TA of the Canadian Parliament remains intact.
Enbridge gets supertanker nod for Northern Gateway exports - The Globe and Mail
Excerpt: The review by Transport Canada examined the marine passages that would allow the proposed Enbridge Inc. Northern Gateway pipeline to export Alberta oil to buyers in China and California. That $6.6-billion project has become one of the country’s most important industrial initiatives, backed by major energy producers and opposed by a raft of first nations and environmental groups.
Editorial Comment: Now why would anyone have expected anything less, if you don’t give a damn about the people of Canada, and care even less about its aboriginal peoples, why the hell even study it right? So before any studies are done, why is it no shock its already approved?
Conservative mindset gets in way of Enbridge review | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com
Excerpt: Why won’t the prime minister shut up and allow the regulator to do its job [“Harper wages war on environmental activists”, February 16-23]? The Harper government has no intention of letting the regulator do its job in the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project review. The inflammatory comments are not simple interference; rather, they aim to undermine the legitimacy of the public-hearing process. This conservative fantasy of foreign-funded radicals meddling in the hearings will be the justification for replacing it with a process in which the public may perhaps be allowed to talk, but will have no power to influence the outcome, or even delay the timetable. This is the power Harper enjoys in Parliament, after all. Do we seriously believe he will accept anything less in an environmental review?
Attend hearings on Enbridge, local group urges
Excerpt: The local group opposing crude oil tanker traffic is urging islanders to attend the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline joint review panel hearings that will be held in Old Massett next week. The hearings will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and Wednesday, Feb. 29, at the Old Massett community hall, starting at 9 am on both days. Valine Crist of CoASt, Communities Against Supertankers, said she is encouraging everyone to attend the hearings, which are open to the public. CoASt is helping to organize carpooling and transportation from Queen Charlotte and Skidegate up to Old Massett. Lunch will be provided for everyone attending on both days, she said.
Canadian oil’s quiet pipeline to the West
Excerpt: The Kinder pipeline, which recently allowed the first tanker of bitumen crude to be shipped to China, has gone largely unnoticed during the Northern Gateway media furor. But that will change, no doubt. The prospect of it doubling its capacity to 600,000 barrels a day has already caught the attention of the usual suspects. Still, Ian Anderson, head of Kinder’s Canadian division, says the company “looks forward” to hearing from First Nations tribes and local stakeholders (i.e., enviros) about the proposed Trans Mountain expansion. (Yeah, sure). In the truest Canadian governmental tradition, there will be countless hearings if Kinder Morgan, as expected, decides to go ahead with its plans to double the pipeline’s capacity.
Smokescreen in place for pipeline - Goderich Signal-Star - Ontario, CA
Excerpt: Why would Canadians support a proposal to export oil to either the United States or China, giving them refining jobs and supplying those countries with our oil, when nearly half of our country (Quebec and Atlantic Canada) gets the majority of its oil from the Middle East (780,000 barrels)? Canadian money is going right into the hands of those countries that Mr. Harper’s friend Ezra Levant says produce “unethical oil”? Why are we not refining the tar sands oil ourselves and selling it to our own provinces? The money and the jobs would stay within the country. Why let Enbridge build the Northern Gateway Pipeline when they have been responsible for 175 oil leaks or spills in the United States since 2002? Why does Canada not have a credible energy plan that would help ensure jobs for Canadians in the energy sector in the future?
Enbridge’s Northern Gateway opens door to inflation
Excerpt: It is regrettable that Gerry Angevine of the Fraser Institute didn’t do his homework and actually read the Enbridge documents submitted to the National Energy Board regarding the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline (Proposed pipeline to have no effect on gas prices, Issues & Ideas, Feb. 20). If he had, he would be well aware that the increase of domestic crude oil prices arising from the pipeline is Enbridge’s assumption, not mine. He would also realize that Enbridge has applied this price increase to all oil produced whether it is sold to customers in the United States, Canada or Asia, not just oil marketed to Asia.
UK tar sands abstention welcomed - UK News - News - WalesOnline
Excerpt: Environmentalists have welcomed the Government’s decision not to block efforts to ban polluting “tar sands” from Europe, as a vote on the issue ended in deadlock. The UK was among the EU countries whose officials abstained in a key Brussels vote over moves that would effectively stop the use of unconventional oil, extracted in Alberta, Canada, as a transport fuel in the bloc. Green groups had feared the coalition would bow to lobbying by the Canadian government and oil companies and vote against efforts to ban the fuel. As a result of the abstentions, there was no majority for or against the move and it will now be decided on by EU ministers in June - which campaigners hope will make the process more transparent.
EU tar sands fight not over, experts at stalemate
Excerpt: No-voters included Estonia, home to shale oil, which would also be labelled as carbon intensive, and Poland, which could be concerned that its reserves of shale gas, another unconventional energy source, might at a later date come under scrutiny. There were 54 votes in favour of the proposal, 128 votes against and 128 abstentions, which means there were not enough yes or no votes to result in a majority. Firm backing for the European Commission’s proposal, under the Fuel Quality Directive, has been led by nations such as Denmark, holder of the current EU presidency and a keen advocate of environmental reform.
EU remains undecided on environmental dangers of Canadian oilsands
Excerpt: A meeting of senior EU civil servants failed to reach agreement on a draft law that would label fuel from tarsands as more carbon intensive than other types of crude oil, an EU source said on Thursday. The proposal has stirred furious opposition from Canada, home to massive reserves of crude, most of which is in the form of tarsands, also known as oilsands. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meeting of EU energy and environmental officials failed to reach a qualified majority under the EU’s voting system, which assigns votes according to the populations of the EU’s member states.
Alternate Enbridge pipeline route ‘no better’
Editorial Comment: If you can stomach reading another “virtues of getting rich, screw everyone else story, here it is.
Sun News : Embrace Chinese oilsands investment: report
Excerpt: Concerns over growing Chinese investment in Alberta’s oilsands are misguided, states a report prepared for a Canadian business group. And while the study insists those state-owned Chinese oil firms are more profit-driven than nationalistic and should be welcomed, an Alberta Liberal critic disagrees, saying the province needs to be cautious. The paper done for the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) notes Chinese government-owned companies have sunk $14.1 billion into Alberta’s oilpatch and they should be regarded like any other investor, said study author Margaret Cornish of Bennett Jones Commercial Consulting Inc.
Editorial Comment: About as misguided as your accidental admission of the truth, “Chinese Tarsands”
CJFW - Country 103.1 FM :: Kitimat Not Ready To Declare on Enbridge :: News
Excerpt: And last night, Douglas Channel Watch coordinator Dieter Wagner asked Kitimat Council to follow suit, saying a tanker spill in the channel or a pipeline rupture along the Kitimat River would have disasterous consequences. “We are concerned about who will detect an incident along the Kitimat River, particularly in the winter time. There’s nothing along the Kitimat river, if up the Kitimat river there’s a spill, nobody will report it until it gets way down here” His presentation earned applause from those gathered at last night’s meeting — but Councillor Mary Murphy says a referendum would be needed to get a better read on what the community wants — rather than just one group.
First Nations reject alternate Northern Gateway route | Energy | News | Financial Post
Excerpt: Switching the end point of the $5.5-billion Northern Gateway pipeline to Prince Rupert, B.C., from Kitimat will not win support among First Nations already opposed to the pipeline, says Coastal First Nations executive director Art Sterritt. “A spill outside of Prince Rupert would be just as damaging as it would be outside of Hartley Bay” at the entrance of Douglas Channel to Kitimat, Mr. Sterritt said Sunday. Mr. Sterritt said the pipeline route to Prince Rupert along the Skeena River is treacherous and prone to rock slides and avalanches. He added that pipeline proponent Enbridge’s proposal to change the route won’t get support from the communities of Prince Rupert, nearby Port Edward and others on Haida Gwaii.
Canada’s Northern Gateway opponents say ‘It’s going to be war’
Excerpt: First Nations of British Columbia are shaping up to be the pipeline’s most formidable foe. Unlike First Nations communities in other provinces, they have never signed government treaties, thereby retaining title to their historic lands. “We have the ability to go to court in Canada and say, ‘What you are proposing violates the Constitution of Canada.’ And that’s the trump card in all of this,” said Art Sterritt, Coastal First Nations’ Great Bear Initiative director, the Times notes.
“The world’s dirtiest oil” | Indy Blog
Excerpt: Lots of media coverage over the last year has focused on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Alberta’s tar sands, south through Montana, and all the way to the Gulf Coast. We hear about the vigorous protests against a giant pipeline, the political implications of its approval or rejection, the promised jobs along the route, and so on, but very rarely does anyone take a step back and focus on the root of the issue: the tar sands themselves. Canadian photographer Garth Lenz is currently touring an exhibit titled “The True Cost of Oil: Canada’s Tar Sands and the The Last Great Forest.”The collection of images offers a striking look at the tar sands, as well as the immediate surrounding area it’s affecting. For instance, the tailings ponds alone are visible from space and comprise the largest toxic impoundments on the planet; Lenz’s aerial shot shows just a portion of them. They’re part of the reason Alberta’s oil is known as “the world’s dirtiest.”
Europe will vote to keep Canadian tar sands out - environment - 22 February 2012 - New Scientist
Excerpt: BAD year for Canada’s tar sands. The US rejected the Keystone XL pipeline that would have carried fuel south, and now the European Union is poised to label tar bitumen more polluting than other forms of oil. That would rule out selling it to Europe. The EU’s Fuel Quality Directive will cut the greenhouse gas emissions generated by transport fuel - from production to use - by 6 per cent by the end of 2020. Suppliers will have to label fuels according to their total greenhouse-gas footprint, and current footprints will have to shrink. The emissions from extracting and processing tar sands are larger than for regular oil (Environmental Research Letters, DOI: 10.1088/ 1748-9326/4/1/ 014005). The EU proposes labelling them as producing 22 per cent more emissions overall than conventional oil. Its fuel quality commission will vote on that proposal on 23 February, before the European Parliament makes the final decision.
Tar Sands Q&A: Why do they matter? | RTCC
Excerpt: The environmental impact of a barrel of oil derived from oil sands is undoubtedly high. The mining process is exceptionally invasive even when using the latest technologies and we cannot yet tell how the effects on once pristine lands and local faunas will play out in the long run. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, environmental regulation has had to play catch up with a comparatively sudden scaling-up of industrial activity. The carbon footprint is high, too. Oil sand-derived fuel generally emits more CO2 over its entire lifecycle (“well to wheels”) than fuel produced in conventional ways. However, current GHG emissions from the oil sands industry in Alberta make up no more than five percent of Canada’s entire emissions or the equivalent of one half of one percent of total US emissions. Canada recently left the Kyoto Protocol to avoid billions of dollars in fines it would otherwise have incurred as a result of emitting more, not less, carbon dioxide than ever before. However, it did not miss its Kyoto targets solely because of mining operations in its western province. Those emissions are actually still quite small.
Protestors stick to their guns over tar sands
Excerpt: With just 2 days until the EU is slated to vote on labelling tar sands oil as 23% more polluting than conventional crude (effectively banning it from the continent), grassroots campaign groups are mobilising to put massive pressure on the UK to support the Fuel Quality Directive, February 23. Organisations including People & Planet, the UK Tar Sands Network, Lush, UK Youth Climate Coalition, Greenpeace and others, have been organising a series of awareness raising events, online actions, and publicity stunts around the UK, in last-minute attempts to sway UK opposition to the Fuel Quality Directive, heavily influenced by lobbying from the Canadian Government and the oil industry.
Salmon Arm Observer - Shuswap groups host tar sands discussion
Excerpt: “The pipeline poses major threats to northern First Nations communities, as well as to the livelihoods of all those who depend on clean water and healthy ecosystems,” says Anne Morris of KAIROS Salmon Arm, a church-based organization that works on environmental and social justice issues. “It is no wonder that every B.C. First Nation is opposed to the pipeline,” Recently 130 First Nations chiefs signed the Fraser Declaration opposing the pipeline. As well, the Union of BC Municipalities passed two resolutions at its 2011 convention opposing tanker traffic on the West Coast and the proposed pipeline.
Canada Threatens Trade War With EU Over Tar Sands | Earth and Industry
Excerpt: For Canada, the main issue at hand is its assertion the FQD ranking is not based on science, a charge dismissed by EU officials. “The Commission identified the most carbon-intensive sources in its science-based proposal,” said Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action. “It is only reasonable to give high values to more polluting products.”
The oilsands are a symptom of the bigger problem of our dependence on fossil fuels - thestar.com
Excerpt: I have always said that the tarsands are a symptom of a bigger problem. The bigger problem is our societal dependence on fossil fuels. As we use up the easy-to-find resources, we start going to more extreme measures to access what is left. The result is increasingly environmentally hazardous approaches to extraction. None of this discussion takes away from the profound ecological and social concerns involved with the development of the tarsands. I am convinced that the Canadian government could do a better job of regulating the industry to ensure that these ecological and social concerns are properly addressed. In addition, the industry represents the single biggest growing sector of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.
Redirect more investment into clean energy
Excerpt: Now we are turning to the most nasty fossil energy reserves, the tarsands. Mother nature did well hiding that dirty gunk deep down in the ground and far North, to be left untouched. Now billions of investment dollars are flowing into that highly carbon-intensive, poison-loaded and polluting resource, as if we could just use this planet as an unlimited garbage dump. One broken retainer dam later and one significant water shed poisoned later we will recognize just how nasty the tarsands are. Clearly, this is not part of a sustainable and long-term energy solution.
Excerpt: Simpson says he’s not surprised Clark and northern MLAs Pat Bell, Shirley Bond and John Rustad are refusing public comment on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, even though constituents are rising up in great numbers against what they feel is an attack on their way of life. Simpson says “the provincial polls don’t favour Enbridge and its clear what the position of those along Highway 16 is.”
Heeding the Call: Drums Along the Enbridge
Excerpt: The beating of drums echoed throughout the seaside community of Prince Rupert, BC, on February 4 as thousands of First Nations and BC citizens banded together to express their opposition to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway twin pipelines from the Alberta Tar Sands to nearby Kitimat on BC’s central coast. Watch this exclusive documentary video report on the historic gathering - featuring the Gitga’at drummers and dancers of Hartley Bay, young aboriginal signer-songwriter Ta’kaiya Blaney, local political leaders, and a number of powerful First Nations speakers.
Pipe dream doesn’t make sense for B.C. or environment
Excerpt: Interesting to read Enbridge’s Paul Stanway dismiss opposition of the Northern Gateway project as “misleading rhetoric.” B.C. is the largest intact temperate rainforest on this planet to which we all have a stewardship responsibility. Concern over a 1,170-kilometre pipeline built on geographically challenging terrain prone to earthquakes, floods and slides, and crossing more than 700 fish-bearing rivers, does not stem from misleading rhetoric. Concern over introducing tankers three times the size of a football field, and carrying up to a third more oil than the Exxon Valdez, to ply often perilous inside passages, wrought with extreme and unpredictable weather and fragile ecosystems, does not stem from misleading rhetoric
First nations don’t have a pipeline veto, but they do have options - The Globe and Mail
Excerpt: But – and this is a crucial point for Northern Gateway – first nations do not have a veto. The court was very clear in Delgamuukw that “the building of infrastructure … can justify the infringement of aboriginal title.” Consultation, accommodation, compensation? Yes. Veto? No. Treaty 8 first nations are in a situation that is different in law but similar in practical effect. They surrendered their aboriginal title, but Treaty 8 gave them the right to continue hunting, fishing and trapping on Crown land until the government took up such lands for other purposes. The Supreme Court decided in Mikisew (2005) that the government had to consult Treaty 8 nations before approving infrastructure that might affect their wildlife harvesting rights, even off reserve. Again, consultation, accommodation and compensation are involved but not a right of veto.
CFTK-TV Terrace :: Conservative MP Slams Cullen, RD Rejects Enbridge :: Local News
Editorial Comment: Can you guess what they would say before reading it? If you did guess, you were probably right.
Proposed pipeline to have no effect on gas prices
Excerpt: The public debate surrounding Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline has suddenly veered off in a new direction, powered by economic nationalists and the suggestion that rather than exporting oil to China, we should be refining it here at home. The latest entry in this unfolding discussion comes courtesy of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which earlier this month released a report by B.C. economist Robyn Allan claiming the Northern Gateway project will dam-age the Canadian economy and hurt consumers because it will lead to markedly higher gasoline and other fuel prices.
Editorial Comment: When you read this, I wonder if your reaction was the same as mine, did the bad press bout prices jumping up require a new line of bullshit. Who makes up this shit? (Pardon the language) but I am sure most readers were thinking the same thing when they read it. This comes from Fraser Institute’s Global Resource Centre, the same people that green light everything that’s bad for the public, and good for corporations.
Excerpt: The most moving moment of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel hearings in Prince Rupert which wrapped up Saturday were spoken by Lee Brain, the 26-year-old son of an oil executive.
Editorial Comment: For those who have not heard it, check our video collection to watch this speech live.
Excerpt: “I am writing to urge the Government to vote in favour of labelling oil from tar sands as highly polluting immediately and in line with the European Commission’s proposals. I understand that this matter will be considered by the Commission on 23 February. This is a matter of considerable importance and you will know of the concerns that exist that the Government may not be intending to agree to the European Commission’s proposals. I therefore request that you make a statement to the House outlining the position that the UK intends to take, and the reasons for your decision, so that the House has an opportunity to debate this issue that prior to the meeting. “As you will know, surface transport accounts for one-fifth of our domestic carbon emissions and therefore remains a key contributor to climate change. It is therefore vital that the Government supports action at an EU level on highly polluting fuels. Experts agree that oil from tar sands is a ‘dirty fuel’ and the European Union has every right to identify the environmental impact of oil extracted from tar sands in Canada and elsewhere. Instead of promoting dirty jobs in Canada, the Government should act to strengthen and support the UK’s car industry in seizing the huge opportunity that exists to boost the low carbon vehicle sector.
Canada revs up for fight over second tar sands oil pipeline - latimes.com
Reporting from Fort St. James, Canada— The prime minister is talking about being “held hostage” by U.S. interests. Radio ads blare, “Stand up to this foreign bully.” A Twitter account tells of a “secret plan to target Canada: exposed!” Could this be Canada? The cheerful northern neighbor: supplier of troops to unpleasant U.S.-led foreign conflicts, reliable trade partner, ally in holding terrorism back from North America’s shores, not to mention the No. 1 supplier of America’s oil?
Editorial Comment: Wow, at what point can we declare that we have a tyrant in control of Canada?
Canada threatens trade war with EU over tar sands | Environment | guardian.co.uk
Excerpt: Canada has threatened a trade war with European Union over the bloc’s plan to label oil from Alberta’s vast tar sands as highly polluting, the Guardian can reveal, before a key vote in Brussels on 23 February. “Canada will not hesitate to defend its interests, including at the World Trade Organisation,” state letters sent to European commissioners by Canada’s ambassador to the EU and its oil minister, released under freedom of information laws.
Editorial Comment: As a Canadian and I can say I speak for quite a few Canadians, that we not only support the EU, we recommend the EU files sanctions against Canada for its obnoxious behavior. Please tell our Prime Minister he does not get to rule the world, please tell him he only represents 39% of Canada, based on his popularity at the time of the election, I doubt he could even win a minority government today based on his behavior.
The Northern View - Online Feature: What was said at the Rupert Enbridge hearings
Excerpt: Kicking off the two days of hearings were those who signed up to be intervenors, the people who would be allowed to give oral evidence during the hearings. The hearings began bright and early that morning and the North Coast convention centre in Prince Rupert was packed. Many people were wearing deep blue scarves with a salmon embroidered on them as a sign of solidarity; others were wearing ceremonial regalia or t-shirts with anti-pipeline slogans on them.
‘It’s Going to Be War’: First Nations Battle Canadian Tar Sands | Common Dreams
Excerpt: The indigenous First Nations of Canada, along with environmentalists and civil society groups, are gearing up for an epic battle as the oil giant Enbridge continues to press for its ‘Northern Gateway’ pipeline that would transport tar sands oil from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The fight against the Keystone XL has won at least a temporary victory in the United States, but its Canadian counterpart, despite vocal opposition by environmentalists and community members along its westward route, has been largely championed by the ruling conservative government in Ottawa.
Climate expert says coal not oilsands real threat - Canada - CBC News
Excerpt: One of the world’s top climate scientists has calculated that emissions from Alberta’s oilsands are unlikely to make a big difference to global warming and that the real threat to the planet comes from burning coal. “I was surprised by the results of our analysis,” said Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria climate modeller, who has been a lead author on two reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Editorial Comment: It always makes me nervous to believe a man who is has been accused of fraud in fabricating the facts, when instead of proving he is right has to sue people instead. I don’t want to make a story out of this but if you read here, you will see Harper has cut funding to his research, and you can see where this is going, Harper may suddenly restore funding based on this article. Either way I smell rat.
GOP hopeful briefed on oil spill | The Enquirer | battlecreekenquirer.com
Excerpt: Michelle Barlond Smith participated in congressional hearings following the spill and has been critical of the response from Enbridge and the government. “I honestly thought the federal government would come in and save us,” Smith told Karger. “I’ve debated back and forth in my mind what is the government’s responsibility,” she said. “I figured someone running for a national office needs to be asked about these policies.”
Editorial Comment: We included this one to highlight how we as Canadians will be treated once we experience a disaster like they did in Battle Creek.
Excerpt: Clean air, fresh water and fertile soil are essential to our well-being and survival. However, our Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms do not give Canadians a right to a healthy environment. Yet 92 countries have incorporated the right to a healthy environment into their constitutions and this has led to profound legal progress and superior environmental performance, said David R. Boyd the author of The Environmental Rights Revolution. Boyd is one of Canada’s leading environmental lawyers and is also the author of Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy and Dodging the Toxic Bullet. Like his previous books, Boyd’s latest is well-researched and written for a broad audience.
Troy Media » You can’t eat oil
Excerpt: Imagine you’re grocery shopping with your family and you get to the store only to find that it’s closed. It’s almost dinnertime, so you try another one down the street. It’s closed too. You turn on your car radio and the newscaster announces that all the grocery stores in a 700-kilometre radius are closed, permanently. What would you do?
Excerpt: Re: “Big ‘boom,’ or big ‘doom’? Pipelines now feed intense debate on development, environment,” The Journal, Feb. 13. When telling a good story, it’s important to get the facts straight. The Pembina Institute takes issue with the inaccuracies and flawed analysis in this article. For example, it misidentifies the terminus of the Keystone XL pipeline and reports an outdated cost estimate for the Northern Gateway pipeline. The writer fails to credit the Living Oceans Society and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as coauthors of the report Pipeline and Tanker Trouble. She states that Alberta Innovates published a report in September 2011 to refute facts in our report, which was not published until two months later.
Oilsands pipeline risks explained in “BC’s Huge Gamble” film | The Vancouver Observer
Excerpt: Providing a frighteningly accurate account of Enbridge Inc.’s unflattering environmental record, BC’s Huge Gamble, asks the question of what British Columbians are willing to risk in exchange for several hundred new jobs. The short film lays bare not only the environmental and economic detriment to be expected if the Northern Gateway Pipeline is approved, but it also expounds Enbridge’s disregard for the health of residents as well. Posing a threat to the province’s coastal communities, unique rain forests, commercial fisheries and thriving tourism industry.
Excerpt: The Joint Review Panel hearings in Prince Rupert on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline are over, and many are feeling disillusioned with the process. Not even an hour had passed after it ended before a public meeting was organized for Februrary 28 to come up with a better way than regulatory hearings to oppose the pipeline. The Joint Review Panel in Prince Rupert was the first opportunity for interveners to give oral evidence to the three person panel who will be making a recommendation to the federal cabinet on whether the pipeline should be allowed to go ahead. Many were saying that testimony had been “muzzled” as interveners were not allowed to explicitly argue against the project or present any technical information on the environment or anything else.
Excerpt: “All Canadians have a responsibility to challenge the Canadian government, Canadian corporations and even NGOs that are not following indigenous leadership, through solidarity.” In the destruction surrounding the tar sands in Alberta, it is indigenous communities that are paying the highest costs, with severe and direct effects on their health and transmitting of traditional ways of living. Powless describes walking through the tar sands area like being “in the middle of a war zone.” The boreal ecosystem is being turned into a “moonscape”, with contaminated water, sick and deformed animals and fish, and unhealthy communities. Studies show that high levels of toxicity are resulting in children born with respiratory illnesses.
Excerpt: The Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District, which provides local government services to four electoral areas and five municipalities with 20,000 residents living on the North Coast of British Columbia and Haida Gwaii, has passed a resolution opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil tanker and pipeline project. The resolution is the second local government resolution in less than a week opposing the Enbridge pipeline. The City of Terrace passed a resolution on February 13, 2012.
China, Canada and climate change | Edmonton Journal
Excerpt: Samuel Young, an Edmonton accountant who, along with about 100 other businesspeople, accompanied Harper on the trip, feels that concerns over China’s environmental record generally get over-blown. “I think it’s a misconception,” he said. “If you go to China, you notice they save a lot of energy.” Young spoke of extensive use of LED lightbulbs and efficient technology like escalators that only run when someone steps onto them.
Editorial Comment: The propaganda by Canadians who accompany Harper come close to requiring vomit bags when you read their comments. Everyone knows to be able to get along with Harper you do what he says or you will be black balled.
Of pandas and pipelines - February 19, 2012 - Petroleum News
Excerpt: China promised pandas. Canada vowed — almost — to provide energy export pipelines. And those were the highlights of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s five-day visit to China, which he ended with hints that a bi-lateral free trade pact is possible in time. Along with that, Harper offered an assurance that “our government is committed to ensuring Canada has the infrastructure necessary to move our energy resources to diversified markets.” For now, a once-chilly Sino-Canadian mood seems to have melted and nothing is more symbolic of the growing friendship than China’s offer to loan two of its prized pandas to Canadian zoos for 10 years.
Excerpt: The Joint Review Panel hearings into the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway twin pipeline project got off to a rocky start in Prince Rupert this morning. The session was to start with a presentation by Skeena-Bulkley M.P. Nathan Cullen, but Cullen says there was a great deal of discussion about what he should or shouldn’t be allowed to present to the panel. “Enbridge had its lawyers there and they were all ready to go before I even opened my mouth” says Cullen. “It wasn’t 7 minutes ( into his presentation) before they started interrupting, essentially because I was saying things they didn’t like, you know a pipeline and super-tankers threaten not just our economy but who we are as people. Of course if you’re with their company, that’s not the kind of thing you want on the public record.”
Excerpt: MP Nathan Cullen was repeatedly shut down as he attempted to address the Enbridge Northern Gateway joint review panel in Prince Rupert this morning, with an Enbridge lawyer raising several objections to his presentation. At one point, panel chair Sheila Leggett ordered a five minute break so Mr. Cullen could revise his speech to meet the strict guidelines set out for oral evidence at these hearings. At another point, a Metlakatla dancer was ordered to leave the room by security after she banged her drum in support of Mr. Cullen. Mr. Cullen, who received with loud applause several times, said he was dismayed that he was prevented from talking about his experience with Enbridge and his experience talking to many residents in the Skeena-Bulkley Vally riding about how they will be affected by the pipeline.
Excerpt: A dispute between NDP leadership candidate Nathan Cullen and Enbridge Inc. spilled over into Cullen’s presentation at the Northern Gateway panel hearings in his northern B.C. riding on Friday. After several challenges from the Calgary-based oil company’s lawyers, the MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, a riding that includes Prince Rupert, finally cut short his testimony.
YorkRegion Article: Free debate on pipeline essential
Excerpt: I am deeply concerned by reports that members of your office have been threatening charities that support Canadians who have serious concerns about the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and the expansion of the oil sands. All Canadians, no matter what our political affiliation, have an interest in free and open debate. We have a right to decide what we think is in Canada’s best interests.
Nathan Cullen chastised at Enbridge hearing - British Columbia - CBC News
Excerpt: Cullen sought to discredit Enbridge’s approach to community consultation, but the panel felt Cullen’s evidence didn’t abide by hearing rules that require presenters to speak from personal experience. “The way a company conducts itself with a community in advance of a project is also indicative of maybe how they will conduct themselves with the community after the project is in the ground, if you follow my line of reasoning,” said Cullen, who is also a candidate for the leadership of the federal New Democrats. “Again I would remind you we are not here to hear argument,” interjected panellist Sheila Leggett. “We’re not here to hear the case from that perspective.”
Is the Northern Gateway Project In Canada’s National Interest? - Greener Ideal
Excerpt: Robyn Allen a former CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia states, “[there will be] a negative prolonged impact on the Canadian economy by reducing output, employment labor income, and government revenues.” Enbridge, the company behind the 5.5 billion proposed Gateway Project has forecasted a $2-$3 annual increase per barrel in its application to the National Energy Board, something in which Allen claims that , “when the price of oil rises, that means consumers and businesses will pay more for anything produced by that oil. That will result in inflation, businesses being downsized and employees being laid off.”
Should the UK Help Ban Canada’s Tar Sands from Europe?
Excerpt: The EU is currently discussing a Fuel Quality Directive, which will designate Canada’s tar sands as 22% more polluting than conventional fuels and effectively ban any fuel derived from them from being used in Europe. Canada greatly fears this directive as it would not only cut off a huge market, but could also set a precedent that other countries may follow. The UK government has been actively supporting Canada’s attempts to prevent this European proposal. Norman Baker, the UK Transport Minister, defends his government’s stance, saying that they want, not just oil sands, but all types of crude oil to be assessed. “To be clear, we are not delaying action in any way, but are seeking an effective solution to address the carbon emissions from all highly polluting crudes, not simply those from one particular country.”
Canadian Minister Promotes Tar Sands At Climate Summit | ThinkProgress
Excerpt: Showing remarkable gall, Canadian environmental minister Peter Kent took time from a climate change summit with the United States to promote the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. At the summit, Kent and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a coalition to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. Kent called the deal, to which Canada has pledged $3 million, a “critical step forward” in the fight against climate change. Kent also pushed Clinton to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, which alone would add five billion tons of greenhouse pollution to the atmosphere over its lifetime:
Who decides Canada’s interest?
Excerpt: You don’t have to be an economist to understand that dependence on a single customer for our most valuable export cannot be in the national inter-est. In fact, demand for crude oil in the U.S. is expected to be flat, even declining over the years ahead. Our only market and it’s projected to get smaller! Right now Canada is selling its oil at a discount in a North American market that is already discounted off the world market. That adds up to mil-lions of dollars a day and billions of dollars a year in royalties and taxes that Canadians are missing out on . money we will not have available to invest in education, health care, and looking after the tsunami of seniors that’s coming as boomers like me retire.
Enbridge lawyer raises several objections to MP’s presentation at Enbridge review panel hearing
Excerpt: The officials told him they had raised $100 million just for promotion of the project and community engagement, but Mr. Cullen said when he asked where that money had come from, they wouldn’t tell him. This prompted the first objection from Enbridge lawyer Laura Estep, who interrupted Mr. Cullen and asked the panel to stop him from speaking on this subject. “It is argumentative, it is a political agenda,” she said, to loud boos from the audience. Ms Leggett asked the audience to refrain from either applauding or booing, and told Mr. Cullen to restrict his presentation to his personal evidence about the project, as directed in “procedural direction #4″ regarding oral evidence.
Excerpt: The Metlakatla First Nation has registered its objections over Enbridge’s attempts to limit the testimony of MP Nathan Cullen and MLA Gary Coons, as well as the National Energy Board’s own attempt to bar a First Nations drummer in regalia from attending the hearing proceedings. Frustrations boiled over this morning after National Energy Board security staff and the RCMP temporarily threatened to bar a First Nations woman who had expressed frustration at Enbridge’s lawyers’ attempt to limit the testimony of MP Nathan Cullen. The incident occurred during Mr. Cullen’s testimony. Clarence Nelson, a Metlakatla hereditary chief called the woman’s ejection from the hearings a deeply disrespectful act, especially since she was wearing traditional regalia at the time: “When we’re with regalia, it represents who we are,” said Nelson. “‘Respect’ is a powerful word in our language.”
Excerpt: Festival Cinemas president Leonard Schein spoke about the upcoming screening of On the Line, a documentary by Frank Wolf. The film shows his crew’s 1,175-km journey on bike, foot and kayak along the proposed route of the contested Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, interviewing people who live in the area. The documentary is presented with Ecojustice and MEC for the event — and it’s being shown for free to audiences.
Cullen to Provide Oral Evidence at Enbridge Hearing
Excerpt: The MP for Skeena Bulkey Valley will be addressing the Joint Review Panel studying the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Project in Prince Rupert this morning. However, Nathan Cullen says Enbridge attempted to stop him from speaking. He says the oil company wrote a letter to the National Energy Board asking they limit his oral evidence. “It’s another action by Enbridge. When someone says something they don’t like, they try to shut it down,” says Cullen, “And it’s unfortunate. I mean, people should be allowed to speak for goodness sake. It’s a democratic country and all the way up the Prime Minister’s Office you get called a radical if you try to protect your country. So, that’s a bit of a drag.”
Cenovus makes first China oil shipment through Vancouver
Excerpt: Oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc. has sent its first shipment of crude oil to China, beating the opening of the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline by about five years. President and chief executive Brian Ferguson revealed Wednesday in an interview with the Calgary Herald that the company had sent its first half-tankerload of oil - about 250,000 barrels - to an unspecified Chinese customer.
Terrace Standard - Chamber criticizes city’s opposition to Enbridge
Editorial Comment: You would wonder if this is not another case of looking the gift horse in the mouth, without the citizens there would be no Chamber.
Prince Rupert-area First Nation boycotts Enbridge Northern Gateway hearings - Winnipeg Free Press
Excerpt: The Lax Kw’alaams (lax-QWA’-lambs) First Nation is boycotting the proceedings, saying the hearings are a sham. The spokesman for the Prince Rupert-area First Nation says the federal government has already stated its support for the $5.5-billion pipeline stretching from Edmonton, Alberta, to Kitimat, south of Prince Rupert. Garry Reece says the Lax Kw’alaams must boycott, partly because the band believes Enbridge could not answer certain questions about the project that, if approved, will see Alberta crude loaded onto tankers in Kitimat, for shipment to Asia.
Excerpt: Even as federal policymakers consider a transportation bill that would open up sensitive areas for offshore drilling, encourage use of dirty oil shale, force a decision on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and derail public investments in public transportation, they couldn’t even compromise on a simple short-term tax credit for wind energy.
Excerpt: Eight Nobel Peace prize winners sent an open letter to the Romanian President Taraian Basescu asking him to support the Fuel Quality Directive, European Commission’s effort to keep highly polluting tar sands oil out of Europe. The open letter asking to support the new policy prohibiting highly polluting oil produced from tar sands was sent to all EU leaders, as all EU stated will have to approve the directive. The letter is signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace laureate from 1984 (in picture), and seven others laureates: Mairead Maguire (1976), Betty Williams (1976), Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (1980), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (1992), Jody Williams (1997), Shirin Ebadi (2003). The EU has proposed a policy aiming at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels consumed in Europe, recognizing that tar sands oil causes more greenhouse gas pollution than conventional oil. A final approval is needed from the members of the European Union.
Who decides Canada’s interest?
Excerpt: You don’t have to be an economist to understand that dependence on a single customer for our most valuable export cannot be in the national inter-est. In fact, demand for crude oil in the U.S. is expected to be flat, even declining over the years ahead. Our only market and it’s projected to get smaller! Right now Canada is selling its oil at a discount in a North American market that is already discounted off the world market. That adds up to mil-lions of dollars a day and billions of dollars a year in royalties and taxes that Canadians are missing out on . money we will not have available to invest in education, health care, and looking after the tsunami of seniors that’s coming as boomers like me retire.
Tories’ pace on pipeline unrealistic: Enbridge
Editorial Comment: Same story as the next one with a different title.
Enbridge says feds pushing “unrealistically fast” approvals for pipeline
Excerpt: Enbridge, the company behind a controversial pipeline proposal to link the Alberta oilsands with the British Columbia coast, has complained federal departments were asking it for too much information and pushing the approval process at an “unrealistically fast” pace, says newly released briefing material from Environment Canada. The internal records contrast recent statements made by federal cabinet ministers and the Alberta-based energy company about delays in the review process for the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. If built, it would link the oilsands to the port of Kitimat so bitumen could be exported to Asia by tanker.
Enbridge shuts two oil lines after finding leak
Excerpt: CALGARY, Alberta, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc said on Thursday it shut down two pipelines on its Canada-to-U.S. oil transport system after detecting what it termed to be small leak in the northern Lower Peninsula region of Michigan. Enbridge said it expected to have the pipelines back in operation after repairing the leak later on Thursday, but pressure will be lowered as it investigates other possible trouble spots. Line 5, a 491,000 barrel a day pipeline that runs to Sarnia, Ontario, from Superior Wisconsin, is down after crews discovered some spilled crude in soil in Arenac County, Michigan, spokeswoman Lorraine Little said in an email.
Enbridge pipeline bad for the economy - Winnipeg Free Press
Excerpt: The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline will deliver an inflationary oil price “shock” to Canadians of US$2 to $3 per barrel “every year for 30 years,” a B.C. economist predicts. Robyn Allan, former president of the Insurance Corp. of B.C. and senior economist for B.C. Central Credit Union, cites studies by Alberta Energy and the University of Calgary that predict Enbridge will trigger even higher domestic oil prices — ranging between $8 to $10 per barrel respectively. She has taught money, public finance and economics at the university level.
Excerpt: Sometimes I feel like I am in a terrible nightmare and I can’t wake up. I had that feeling again when I read the story about fellow citizens being labelled by a Prime Minister’s Office official as “enemies of the government of Canada” solely for the issues they had with our government’s environmental policy. This nightmare only continued with the release of secret memos branding aboriginal communities as “adversaries” in the Enbridge pipeline debate, and took on global proportions when the attacks persisted during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s trip to China. I gave myself a pinch, and yet still found I was in a country that was more and more difficult to recognize as the progressive Canada we all felt we inhabited.
Yedlin: Northern Gateway pipeline reveals risks of unsettled land claims
Excerpt: If there was one subject that garnered the lions share of the 90 minutes, it was the opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline and, more specifically, how the governments might address the First Nations issues in this context. It’s an understatement to say this is not an easy one to solve. The worry is even if Northern Gateway receives the blessing to proceed from the Joint Review Panel currently conducting hearings, the pipeline will still be stalled because there is an expectation the decision will ultimately be challenged at the Supreme Court of Canada by First Nations groups.
Over 800,000 Signatures Delivered Against Tar Sands Pipeline, President Threatens Veto
Excerpt: On Tuesday, February 14, over 30 environmental and progressive groups delivered over 800,000 signatures petitioning the Senate leadership not to resurrect the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. They easily surpassed their goal to get 500,000 signatures in 24 hours - they achieved that in just 7 hours.
Excerpt: Eight Nobel laureates including Archbishop Desmond Tutu have written to the prime minister to argue that oil derived from Canadian tar sands “threatens the health of the planet” and that the UK should support European moves to classify the controversial energy source as highly polluting.
Nobel winners urge EU leaders to back oilsands pollution law
Excerpt: LONDON — A group of Nobel Peace Prize winners urged European leaders in a letter on Thursday to support an EU Commission proposal to class fuel from oilsands as highly polluting. “Tar sand development is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and threatens the health of the planet,” eight Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, said in the letter. “As the tarsands have contributed to rising emissions, Canada recently stepped away from the Kyoto Protocol. Europe must not follow in Canada’s footsteps.”
Small Enbridge oil leak in east Mich. | WOOD TV8
Excerpt: STERLING, Mich. (WOOD) - A damaged pipe has caused another Enbridge oil incident in Michigan. A leak was found near Sterling in a pipeline that runs north through the eastern part of the state to the Upper Peninsula. An Enbridge Energy spokesperson said that crews found the leak after discovering oil contamination in the soil on Tuesday.
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