What whales?
No problem.
no pipeline, no tankers, no problem
Sat, 2014-05-03 12:59
#452
Sat, 2014-05-03 15:23
#453
..yes ken, it's harper at his best solving the world's problems.
U.S. agency has concerns about B.C. pipeline plans, oil sands products
quote:
More than 1,200 marine scientists, tribal leaders and policy makers from both sides of the border are gathered at the conference organized every two years since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada agreed to work together on cross-border issues in 2000.
The "poster child" for a fresh water oil spill remains the 2010 Enbridge pipeline rupture in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, Shigenaka said. Enbridge is the company behind the Northern Gateway project, he noted.
"There were a number of people who testified in Canadian hearings that it can't sink, it absolutely can't sink, then there were studies that came out that said, well, it can sink," Shigenaka said.
"It sank in Michigan during the Kalamazoo spill.
"They're still working on that spill from 2010 .... They're hoping to have that cleaned up this fall. So, four years later they're still cleaning up."
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/u-agency-concerns-b-c-pipeline-plans-oil-08001...
Sat, 2014-05-03 18:32
#454
quote:
The Northern Gateway would carry up to 525,000 barrels per day to a marine terminal in Kitimat, on the north coast of B.C. The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline through the B.C. Interior to Metro Vancouver would almost triple capacity, from 300,000 barrels a day now to 890,000.
"It's a huge, huge, deal," De Place told about 150 people at the conference.
"When we are having fossil fuel debates in Washington state or B.C. or Oregon, we are having debates that have genuinely global significance. There is no place, I would argue, in the world — except possibly the Gulf Coast — where we have this much responsibility on our hands and where we have this much threat."
Sun, 2014-05-04 14:03
#455
Wed, 2014-05-07 21:05
#456
Northern LNG push is 'stealing' Gitxsan chief names, allege leaders
(with video)
quote:
'Sign this, let's get on with it'
They claim that that the Gitxsan Development Corporation (GDC), which is trying to facilitate pipeline Gitxsan discussions with government and industry, is encountering house chiefs who oppose LNG. It's also claimed the corporation then finds other people instead to sign LNG agreements on the house's behalf. In some cases, these house chiefs weren't initially aware someone else was singing for them.
“The chiefs with the main houses are saying ‘no’ to the gas companies. So what do they do? They take the next runner up and say, ‘here’s some money, sign this, and let’s get on with it.’ And that’s illegal material, right there,” said Gilbert Johnson, a hereditary wing chief, on Monday.
Three massive pipelines --- by TransCanada, Spectra Energy and Altagas -- would slice through Gitxsan lands and waterways on their way to export terminals in Prince Rupert and Kitimat.
quote:
No information, just selling points: hereditary chief
Gitxsan means "People of the River of Mist" -- and its people have a deep attachment to the land. Many are worried that LNG projects will harm much of province’s northern watershed, affecting fish and wildlife. Also worrisome, is how the coastal export terminals may hurt critical salmon habitat.
But provincial and industry officials, said hereditary chief William Blackwater, aren't giving the straight goods.
“They do not let out any information whatsoever. They just come and tell you what is good for you, and that money is good for you.”
“And that’s when these guys come around too, these people from Environmental Assessment? And they tell you how clean [it will be], and nothing is going to happen,” said Blackwater.....
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/northern-lng-push-stealing-gitxsan...
Thu, 2014-05-08 08:35
#457
Please support the Yinka Dene in their stand against Enbridge.
Today, Jasmine Thomas of the Yinka Dene Alliance and a group of other delegates are attending Enbridge’s Annual General Meeting in Calgary to tell Enbridge face-to-face that it’s time to give up on its plan to put tar sands pipelines and tankers where they aren’t welcome. With the clock winding down on the federal government’s mid-June Enbridge decision deadline, she’ll be reminding shareholders that there is still time to put an end to this risky project and avoid further public opposition and legal conflict.Will you add your voice to hers by sending a letter to Enbridge’s corporate board while they are meeting in Calgary?Our goal is to achieve a thousand letters to Enbridge’s corporate board by the end of the week, letting them know that citizens of all walks of life have pledged to stand with First Nations to “hold the wall” on stopping the Enbridge pipeline. Now more than ever it’s important to turn up the volume on the message that Enbridge’s pipelines and tankers project will not be built.
Please send your letter now.By raising your voice against Enbridge’s plans you are building on an inspiring history of collaboration between First Nations and non-First Nations people alike to make it clear that the risks of these proposed pipelines and tankers to our lands, waters and climate are too great to be permitted. In 2012 members of the Yinka Dene Alliance and other First Nations completed a cross-country Freedom Train journey from our territories to the Enbridge Annual General Meeting in Toronto, meeting with thousands of supporters at rallies in several cities along the way and participating in water ceremonies. We recently released a short documentary on the inspiring journey – check it out:
Thank you again for joining the thousands of Canadians who have committed to standing with First Nations to protect the land, the water and our communities from the Enbridge pipelines and tankers project.Respectfully,Geraldine Thomas-Flurer, Yinka Dene Alliance CoordinatorP.S. Please join us: On May 10th, people are stepping up from coast-to-coast-to-coast to defend our communities from tar sands projects and call for a just, safe and clean energy future. Find an event in your community: http://www.defendourclimate.ca/events/ or join the Yinka Dene Alliance in Prince George, BC.www.holdthewall.ca
http://yinkadene.ca/index.php/resources/send_enbridge_a_message_for_its_...
Fri, 2014-05-09 12:07
#458
No need for Site C mega-dam, Treaty 8 Tribal Association agrees
The Joint Review Panel report on the proposed Site C hydroelectric dam has found that despite some major benefits of the project, BC Hydro has not proven the need for the $8-billion mega project.
The project -- which BC Hydro has trying to move forward for over 30 years -- would be built on Peace River if approved, which is in the heart of the Treaty 8 territory. Upon review of the report, the Treaty 8 Tribal Association communities of Halfway River, Prophet River and West Moberly First Nations said they supported some of the recommendations and conclusions outlined in the report.
"We have said from the beginning that there is no need for this project, and today the panel indicated that it agrees with us - BC Hydro did not prove that Site C and the energy it will create is necessary right now," said Tribal Chief Liz Logan in a news release.
"This opens the door for us to have conversations about alternatives -local projects with benefits for local people - projects like smaller hydro, wind, natural gas and even geothermal."....
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/no-need-site-c-mega-dam-treaty-8-t...
Sat, 2014-05-10 10:46
#459
Speakers announced for Saturday's #NoEnbridge rally
As the federal government's decision on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline looms, British Columbians are gathering for what is expected to be the biggest anti-pipeline rally in BC to date.
2 p.m, Saturday, May 10
Sunset Beach (at the corner of Bute Street and Beach Avenue)
List of speakers
Amy George - aka "Ta ah" (means grandmother) - Tsleil-Waututh Nation elder and mother of Tsleil-Waututh Sacred Trust project manager Rueben George
Andrea Reimer - City of Vancouver
Spencer Herbert and Libby Davies - NDP
Joyce Murray - Liberals Party of Canada
Carleen Thomas - Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Marissa Nahanee - Squamish Nation
Audrey Seigel - Musquem
Art Sterritt - Coastal First Nation
Anita McPhee - Tahltan Nation Central Council
Derrick Corrigan - mayor of Burnaby
Susan Spratt - Unifor
Lynne Quarmby - microbiologist and concerned scientist
Kate Hodgson - Kids for Climate Action
Ben West - ForestEthics, with Nimmi Takkar from Vancouver Community College, former BC chairperson of Canadian Federation of Students
Eoin Madden - Wilderness Committee
plus:
- a live 6 piece salsa band
- kids' face paint area
- Community art projects
- Boats with signs and other supporters on the water
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/speakers-announced-saturdays-noenb...
Mon, 2014-05-12 14:05
#460
UN report backs First Nations against pipelines Report by James Anaya, the UN's secial rapporteur, says there's a 'crisis' in Canada
Prime Minister Stephen Harper could narrow the gulf of mistrust with aboriginal peoples by blocking major resource projects including two proposed pipeline megaprojects to the B.C. coast — unless First Nations consent to construction, the United Nations said Monday.
A report by James Anaya, the UN’s special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said there is a “crisis” in Canada and that the level of mistrust has perhaps worsened in the past decade.
The situation of indigenous peoples in Canada (http://www.scribd.com/doc/223470439/The-situation-of-indigenous-peoples-...)
Anaya put the two oilsands pipeline megaprojects Enbridge’s to Kitimat and Kinder Morgan Canada’s to Burnaby at the top of a long list of economic proposals that have drawn bitter complaints from aboriginal leaders Anaya met during a fact-finding mission last year.
Anaya, an American indigenous rights scholar and nominee for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, said the government doesn’t have a coherent plan to meet its Supreme Court of Canada-mandated obligations to consult and accommodate First Nations before major projects proceed....
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/report+backs+First+Nations+against+pi...
Wed, 2014-05-14 16:50
#461
Endangered orcas swim along Kinder Morgan's oil tanker route
Initially it all sounds amusing: those pesky killer whales are getting in the way of oil tanker shipping routes. But the gravity of Kinder Morgan’s arrogance becomes chilling when we look below the surface.
quote:
Kinder Morgan believes its project “will not have a significant adverse effect on any biophysical…element except the potential effect of sensory disturbance on southern resident killer whales that use the shipping lanes…”
Kinder Morgan may not be aware, but southern resident killer whales have been in existence for about 11 million years. As for mechanized ships through B.C.’s coastal waters? Not even 150 years, and oil tankers only since the 1930s. Shipping lanes did not exist before ships relied on them. It is therefore not possible for resident killer whales to use the shipping lanes --rather, it's oil tankers that use the migratory paths of killer whales.....
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/opinion/endangered-orcas-swim-along-kin...
Sat, 2014-05-17 11:15
#462
Kinder Morgan's historic oil spills are double the Kalamazoo disaster: NDP MP
Ducks dying, a Kalamazoo River blackened with oil, and haz-mat workers vacuuming sticky sediments in the worst land pipeline spill in U.S. history -- not the visuals Kinder Morgan wants to be associated with, especially when it had nothing to do with the disaster.
"It's a stupid comparison," bristled Kinder Morgan vice president Hugh Harden from Calgary on Wednesday.
The oil executive in charge of Trans Mountain pipeline's operations was reacting to a new pipeline spill analysis from Burnaby Member of Parliament, Kennedy Stuart.
The outspoken MP, well known for his opposition to Kinder Morgan’s $5-billion proposal to now expand the Edmonton-to-Burnaby pipeline, released new federal data on the existing pipeline's spills. The NEB records date back more than half a century, and show the total volume released by Trans Mountain was 40,000 barrels.......
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/kinder-morgans-historic-oil-spills...
Mon, 2014-05-19 14:18
#463
quote:
Oily friends
There is also a plan to establish a $1.61 billion fund from levies imposed on tanker companies. The $400 million limit (and the $1.61 billion fund) are laughable when the you examine the Exxon Valdez disaster, the closest existing example of what a spill cleanup would cost. Exxon paid $3.8 billion in cleaning up the spill of 250,000 barrels of oil. And those were 1989 dollars. The VLCC class super tankers that would transport tarsands crude from Kitimat would be carrying 2,000,000 barrels in the most dangerous waters on the planet. A 2012 UBC study estimated the cost of a cleanup off B.C.'s northern coast at $9.6 billion.
Harper's dogged commitment to protecting some of the largest and most profitable corporations in the world from liability for their own misdeeds is in itself irrational. He likes to describe Canada as an energy superpower but all the other energy superpowers are nation states that have long ago nationalized their oil. That's what gives them power. Canada is a superchump, given that the only energy superpower here is the oil and gas industry itself. Canada and its government have ceded all power to the industry. The cost to Canada and its economy is huge, and for Harper, whose only source of credibility is now the economy, that is dangerous.
As The Tyee's Mitch Anderson reported, a recent IMF report reveals that the after tax subsidies to the oil and gas industry in this country are a staggering $34 billion a year. Most of this is "the externalized cost of burning transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel -- about $19.4 billion in 2011. These externalized costs include impacts like traffic accidents, carbon emissions, air pollution and road congestion."
Many of these costs could be recovered by taxing the industry as is done in the EU, and by committing to mass transit.
According to Anderson, "Canada provides more subsidies to petroleum as a proportion of government revenue than any developed nation on Earth besides the United States and Luxembourg." It is not only individual citizens who pay those subsidies, it is all the other business sectors in the country -- the ones who depend on a viable infrastructure, high educational standards and healthy workers.
Mon, 2014-05-19 14:47
#464
Stephen Harper's 'Strategic' Path to Ruin
From Enbridge to the Supreme Court, the PM's reckless side prevails.
The federal government, that is Stephen Harper, is expected to announce its long anticipated decision on Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline sometime in June. The decision could well determine whether or not the Conservatives can win the 2015 election.
The momentum of opposition to the pipeline -- and perhaps more importantly to the hundreds of supertankers that would move tarsands bitumen to Asia -- is clearly growing in both B.C. and the rest of Canada. This makes Harper's absolute dedication to the oil industry, and his dogged commitment to the pipeline in particular, tantamount to a suicide pact. This is a pipeline that will never be built. It is already dead. But don't assume Harper sees that. His decision, as many of them are, will be a war between his highly touted strategic genius and his narcissistic impulses -- revealed by a pattern of rejecting defeat until reality can no longer be denied....
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/05/19/Harper-Ruin-Path/
Fri, 2014-05-23 11:05
#465
[url=http://dcnonl.com/article/id60377/--proposed-oilsands-pipeline-violates-...
[i] Anaya released a report on May 12 on the situation of indigenous peoples in Canada. He said there appears to be a lack of a consistent framework or policy for the implementation of the government’s Supreme Court-mandated duty to consult with First Nations before major projects proceed.This situation is generating an atmosphere of contentiousness and mistrust that is not beneficial to economic development and social peace.In particular, Anaya said indigenous representatives are concerned about a number of proposed or implemented development projects that they feel pose great risks to their communities.At the top of the list of projects of serious concern, in terms of the human rights of indigenous people in Canada, is Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline.[/i]
Sat, 2014-05-31 12:26
#466
No problem eh, well what about this!
The global energy giant has repeatedly stalled or cancelled major oil sands projects in Alberta, costing it millions along the way. It has blown a hole in the ground in a failed attempt to extract bitumen. It has pushed aside plans for two upgraders. And now, it is indefinitely deferring development of its Joslyn north oil sands mine.
Well there's a problem! (for the oil barons)
Sun, 2014-06-08 18:53
#467
The mayor and a municipal counsellor were also present that night, and they announced the passing of a resolution which categorically rejects the Energy East project in Lanoraie....
June 4 also happened to be the day which the National Energy Board (NEB) held an open-house in Terrebonne regarding the Energy East pipeline project by TransCanada. Due to the section regarding the NEB in Stephen Harper's Bill C-38 omnibus legislation, only citizens who are "directly affected" by pipeline projects are allowed to speak out during environmental assessments. Only individuals who live within one kilometer of the proposed pipeline are deemed to be "directly affected." The NEB has also released criteria for acceptable questions for the future hearings on Energy East; and the criteria excludes all questions regarding inevitable expansion of the Tar Sands after the pipeline’s construction and the associated danger of climate change.
Coule Pas Chez Nous (a campaign based in the Lower St. Lawrence, organized by a coalition of anti-pipeline groups) signs were present on the front lawns and in the windows of many homes in the town. We later learned that the municipal government had been making efforts to mobilize opposition to Energy East, using the already-established network of activists who fought shale gas in 2011.
A municipal counsellor showed up as well, and announced the passing of legislation which -- as in Lanoraie -- unconditionally rejects the pipeline project.
Sun, 2014-06-15 21:28
#468
We'll Do 'Whatever it Takes' To Stop Northern Gateway Pipeline, BC Chief Vows (and vid)
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/b-c-chief-we-ll-do-whatever-it-takes-to-s...
Chief Stewart Philip discusses what will happen if Northern Gateway pipeline is approved.
Wed, 2014-07-09 14:01
#469
This is Talbits Kwa at the location of the place we call Tse Wedi 'Elh. The river which runs through the heart of the territory where the Unist'ot'en Camp blockade is at. We are protecting this river because it has a majestic spirit which nourishes our bodies and souls as well as sustains countless lifeforms which provide a lifeforce which cannot be measured.
Wed, 2014-07-09 14:05
#470
Wed, 2014-07-09 18:10
#471
Wed, 2014-07-09 18:32
#472
Fri, 2014-07-11 16:31
#473
Burnaby council: Did the dog eat Kinder Morgan’s homework?
It was abundantly clear Monday night that Burnaby city council is not satisfied with Kinder Morgan’s response to their 1,700 questions.
At the last meeting, council spent more than an hour criticizing the energy company’s reply to a 300-page information request from the city. The request was submitted as part of the National Energy Board process that’s examining Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion plans.
Council claims that more than 62 per cent of their questions were not answered properly or not answered at all, and that 14 per cent were only partially answered.
Coun. Nick Volkow compared Kinder Morgan’s “wholly inadequate” responses to the infamous “my dog ate my homework” gradeschool excuse and likened the company’s attitude to that of another Houston-based corporation mired in controversy.
“I’ve been around long enough to remember Enron,” said Volkow. “Two of the principles got out just in time, and their names were Rich Kinder and Bill Morgan.
“There was a culture within Enron that I think has been transposed into the company we’re dealing with now. (There’s) an absolute arrogant belief that they’re dealing with a bunch of rubes up here, and that what they were able to get away with down in Houston, they’re going to be able to get away with it here.”
Among council’s biggest concerns was Kinder Morgan’s apparent conditions for municipalities requesting to see their emergency response plan, as brought up by Coun. Dan Johnston.
“Vancouver was told specifically that that plan is not available,” he said. “They could sign a confidentiality agreement and look at it, but once they look at it, they couldn’t comment or do anything with it.”
Mayor Derek Corrigan highlighted the issue further, noting that not only would they have to keep quiet about the plan, but that they would have to agree to accept the plan before ever laying eyes on it.
“I’m astounded by the answers and the logic behind the answers, arguing that their emergency response plan is proprietary,” said Corrigan. “How can the National Energy Board, who are supposed to be intelligent people, put up with answers like that?...
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/burnaby-council-did-the-dog-eat-kinder-mo...
Sat, 2014-07-12 20:26
#474
Pogo
anti spam bump (asb)
Tue, 2014-07-15 07:16
#475
Northern Gateway facing legal doom: eight new First Nations lawsuits (VIDEO)
Enbridge is facing a startling number of new First Nations lawsuits, challenging the constitutionality of the Harper’s government decision in June to approve the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline.
Eight First Nations -- from Haida Gwaii to Yinka Dene territory west of Prince George – have launched legal challenges, since Friday. Nine more, were launched earlier this year, said the West Coast Environmental Law organization....
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/northern-gateway-facing-legal-doom...
Wed, 2014-07-16 12:10
#476
Decision on Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Delayed Until After Next Federal Election
Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) announced today that it is stopping the clock on the review of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion due to the company’s new proposed corridor through Burnaby, B.C.— which will push a decision on the project back to after the 2015 federal election.
The board will take a seven-month timeout from its 15-month timeline between July 11, 2014, and Februrary 3, 2015, to allow Kinder Morgan time to file studies for its new corridor through Burnaby Mountain, according to a letter to intervenors sent today.
That pushes the board’s deadline to file its report on the project with cabinet back seven months from July 2, 2015, to Jan. 25, 2016.
“The significant thing is that this decision now won’t be made until after the next federal election. It’ll be up to the next Prime Minister to make that call,” says Karen Campbell, staff lawyer with Ecojustice.
“From a campaign perspective, it certainly gives some wind in the sails of those who want to make sure this isn’t a fait accompli before the next election,” she says.
But Campbell also cautioned that there are still a lot of shortcomings in the process that the energy board has not addressed.
That’s a concern echoed by Gregory McDade, legal counsel for the City of Burnaby.
“There are so many other incomplete items that need work,” McDade says. “We’ve been pushing all along for a proper public hearing with cross-examination and evidence and the NEB said they couldn’t do that because of the tight timeline. Now that we have the time, why aren’t we doing a proper public hearing?”
McDade says that without cross-examination, the energy board’s review is not legitimate. He noted how Kinder Morgan failed to answer many of the questions put to them through the “information request” process, which he described as a “colossal joke.”
“Stalling it seven months doesn’t help at all if you’re not going to properly examine the evidence,” he said. “It just puts the decision off.”.....
http://desmog.ca/2014/07/15/decision-kinder-morgan-trans-mountain-oil-pr...
Thu, 2014-07-17 13:59
#477
The Ministry of Environment has extended the consultation period for its intentions paper on land based spill preparedness and response. The comment period will now be open until July 25, 2014.
Ministry of Environment’s review of Land Based Spill Preparedness and Response in British Columbia (env.gov.bc.ca)
Sun, 2014-07-20 14:37
#478
Sun, 2014-07-20 16:05
#479
Pipeline exporting crude isn’t good for Canada, job creation
Russ Day, Unifor Local 601 unit chair at the Chevron Burnaby Refinery, recently had the Letter of the Day in the Province newspaper. The following letter appeared June 29:
A recent editorial from a handful of construction unions (“Northern Gateway pipeline needed to enrich us all”) was long on rhetoric about the Northern Gateway pipeline and short on facts.
According to the Alberta Federation of Labour, only 228 permanent jobs will be created from a pipeline opposed by 130 First Nations, most BC municipalities, and half of British Columbians.
Beyond a paltry 36 months of short-term pipeline construction jobs, the Northern Gateway pipeline (and pending Kinder Morgan and Keystone XL projects) will ship unrefined bitumen to foreign markets, robbing Canadians of thousands of stable, long-term upgrading, refining and petro-chemical jobs.
An Exxon Valdez-type tanker spill would cost the fishing and tourism industry on the North Coast billions, wiping out the already meager benefit to the province of British Columbia.....
http://unifor.org/en/whats-new/news/pipeline-exporting-crude-isnt-good-c...
Sun, 2014-07-20 21:30
#480
Tribal Journeys is an annual canoe gathering of First Nations on the Pacific coast. Paddlers travel for weeks in traditional canoes to a host community and spend a week sharing food, tradition and culture. This year, the gathering is in the Heiltsuk community of Bella Bella.
By: Anu Rao, Senior Specialist, Marine Planning
quote:
Nation representatives speak passionately about how their culture, land, water and people are more important than getting Alberta oil overseas. Their answer to the Northern Enbridge Gateway proposal is simple: No.
On the same day, the Heiltsuk and Kitasoo-Xai'xais First Nations launch a court challenge against the pipeline. They believe the federal government did not take aboriginal title and rights into consideration when it approved the pipeline. They join several other First Nations in filing lawsuits to stop this project.
Meanwhile, according to Heiltsuk leader and visionary Frank Brown, "If you say 'no', you have to have a solution to no." So the community does yet another special thing on day two of the gathering: they organize an Indigenous Economic Summit.
This gathering is a logical place to start talking about reestablishing an indigenous approach to economies....
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/healthy-oceans-blog/2014/07/enbridge-or...
Mon, 2014-07-21 01:30
#481
Thanks for all your hard work on this topic. I read even if I don't post. The fight against pipelines from the oil sands has been far more successful than I ever dreamed it could be. I think there is a good chance the States will continue to reject Keystone. The Northern Gateway is being stopped and there is solid opposition to Energy East in communities across Canada.
Threatening people with rail transport is backfiring and alerting people to all the other dangerous chemicals being shipped by rail.
One concern I never hear about is the lifespan of pipelines. Anything built has a lifespan and that aspect seems ignored. It would seem to be more than a minor detail as it can't just be left sitting in the ground forever.
Mon, 2014-07-21 03:19
#482
Thanks for all your hard work on this topic. I read even if I don't post. The fight against pipelines from the oil sands has been far more successful than I ever dreamed it could be. I think there is a good chance the States will continue to reject Keystone. The Northern Gateway is being stopped and there is solid opposition to Energy East in communities across Canada.
Threatening people with rail transport is backfiring and alerting people to all the other dangerous chemicals being shipped by rail.
One concern I never hear about is the lifespan of pipelines. Anything built has a lifespan and that aspect seems ignored. It would seem to be more than a minor detail as it can't just be left sitting in the ground forever.
I appreciate you posting about "the lifespan of pipelines." Spills from the existing Kinder Morgan pipeline are a serious problem. This pipeline and the transport of fossil fuels onto tankers out of Vancouver, BC pose unacceptable risks. Expansion must be stopped, and this legacy pipeline needs to be dismantled.
Mon, 2014-07-21 13:57
#483
Cleaned-up Kalamazoo River 'unrecognizable' to Ceresco historian with loss of town's dam
Following a massive oil spill near Marshall four years ago, the Kalamazoo River is nearly back to normal, the restoration of its clean water, oil-free banks, natural plants and fish habitat almost complete.
Fish, turtles and recreational river users will all return. But the community of Ceresco has suffered collateral damage, not from the oil but from the aftermath, town historian Heather Rocho says. It will never be the same.
Enbridge Inc., a Canadian pipeline company, is in its final weeks of dredging and excavating after a pipeline leak that sent an estimated 800,000 gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek, oil that made its way to the Kalamazoo River and washed downstream.....
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/07/cleaned-up_kalamaz...
Wed, 2014-07-23 03:59
#484
Canada's US Ambassador Pushes for Pipeline
http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2014/07/22/canadas-u-s-ambassador-pushe...
"Gary Doer said all the evidence - environmental, economic, safety and scientific - supports a favorable decision by the US government for the Keystone oil pipeline."
Wed, 2014-07-23 09:48
#485
B.C. government offers Gitxsan First Nation $12-million signing bonus for pipeline deal.
The B.C. government has written directly to about 60 hereditary chiefs of the Gitxsan First Nation, outlining a multimillion-dollar gas-pipeline benefits deal.
In the letter, the government offers the Gitxsan about $12-million, plus a signing bonus of over $2-million, if it will allow two pipelines to cross territorial lands.
“The offer takes into consideration the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission Project and the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project,” states the letter from Laurel Nash, chief negotiator for the lands branch of the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
It offers the First Nation a payment of $6.26-million for the Westcoast Connector and $5.81-million for the Prince Rupert gas line. It proposes an additional $2.4-million payment if a deal is signed by Sept. 30. The bonus declines to $1.81-million if the signing doesn’t take place until Dec. 31 and it drops to $1.2-million if it isn’t signed until March 31, 2015.
http://westcoastnativenews.com/b-c-government-offers-gitxsan-first-natio...
..........
Gitxsan: They are still trying to appease us with beads and trinkets
A $12-million provincial offer to Gitxsan chiefs to clear the way for gas pipeline development is inadequate and ill-timed, community leaders say.
The offer is part of the B.C. government’s efforts to reach agreements with at least 30 First Nations in northern B.C. to allow billions of dollars of liquefied natural gas plants to go ahead. Premier Christy Clark has made developing LNG to export to Asia as the underpinning of her economic plan, promising five plants to create thousands of jobs and fuel a $30-billion prosperity fund.
In the Gitxsan territory, the outcome is complicated by a rift among the 65 hereditary chiefs. One group is opposed outright to gas pipelines.
Gitxsan negotiators had broken off gas pipeline talks with the B.C. government on June 21, in part, because the province continued to back treaty agreements with the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum First Nations that included land that overlaps onto territory that the Gitxsan claim....
http://westcoastnativenews.com/gitxsan-they-are-still-trying-to-appease-...
Wed, 2014-07-23 18:17
#486
Inuit begin battle against seismic testing over fears it endangers marine life
More than 300 people in the small Baffin Island community of Clyde River, Nunavut, took to the streets Wednesday in protest of proposed seismic testing off the eastern shore of Baffin Island.
Seismic testing is where loud sonic guns are fired into the water and the echo helps to determine what resources are available under the seabed, typically oil.
The National Energy Board announced that the proposed testing has been delayed until 2015, but that didn’t limit the enthusiasm or turnout.
There are only 1,000 people who live in Clyde River and nearly one third of them turned up Wednesday afternoon for a march around the community’s Ring Road.
Like in many communities across the country, Clyde River residents believe seismic testing will injure the sea mammals they depend on for food....
Wed, 2014-07-23 22:12
#487
Thanks for all your hard work on this topic. I read even if I don't post. The fight against pipelines from the oil sands has been far more successful than I ever dreamed it could be. I think there is a good chance the States will continue to reject Keystone. The Northern Gateway is being stopped and there is solid opposition to Energy East in communities across Canada.
Threatening people with rail transport is backfiring and alerting people to all the other dangerous chemicals being shipped by rail.
One concern I never hear about is the lifespan of pipelines. Anything built has a lifespan and that aspect seems ignored. It would seem to be more than a minor detail as it can't just be left sitting in the ground forever.
..it's gone father than anyone believed i believe. i've never seen such a coming together of people before. it's contagious as well.
Thu, 2014-07-24 10:41
#488
Unist'ot'en Camp Evicts A TransCanada Helicopter Crew
On July 22, 2014, the Unist'ot'en camp evicted a TransCanada crew working on the Coastal Gaslink pipeline within their territories in northern BC. If caught tresspassing again, TransCanada's equipment will be confiscated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jMTJjFVb3s&feature=youtu.be
...............
Mayor will reject Kinder Morgan's land request
Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan has vowed to push back on Kinder Morgan’s attempts to survey Burnaby Mountain for a pipeline route. Meanwhile, the oil company is planning to ask the National Energy Board to go over the city’s head.
Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said the company would seek the National Energy Board’s help accessing the land if Burnaby refuses to co-operate.
“We would prefer to have the city’s permission to access the city’s lands in order to work, and we will be formally requesting that soon. If it is not provided, then we will go the National Energy Board and seek a ruling of the board to have the authority to instruct the city to grant us access to those lands,” he said in a conference call with media on Friday. Anderson indicated the company would apply to the city and the NEB concurrently, and he expected the process would take weeks, not months.
The city, which is staunchly opposed to the pipeline expansion, rejected the company’s informal query to drill holes on the mountain, which is a dedicated park and conservation area.
According to Corrigan, consultants (who did not initially identify themselves as affiliates of Kinder Morgan) asked city staff if they could drill holes in the park.
“Staff treated it as anyone coming in and making an inquiry. We said, ‘Well, it’s not likely we’re going to give you approval to start digging up a park,’ and that was the limit of the discussion,” Corrigan said. Afterwards, city staff confirmed the consultants were working with Kinder Morgan, he added.
The relationship between the two parties has soured, and Anderson said Burnaby has broken off contact....
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/mayor-will-reject-kinder-morgan-s-land-re...
Thu, 2014-07-24 17:26
#489
Mayor will reject Kinder Morgan's land request
Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan has vowed to push back on Kinder Morgan’s attempts to survey Burnaby Mountain for a pipeline route. Meanwhile, the oil company is planning to ask the National Energy Board to go over the city’s head.
Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said the company would seek the National Energy Board’s help accessing the land if Burnaby refuses to co-operate.
“We would prefer to have the city’s permission to access the city’s lands in order to work, and we will be formally requesting that soon. If it is not provided, then we will go the National Energy Board and seek a ruling of the board to have the authority to instruct the city to grant us access to those lands,” he said in a conference call with media on Friday. Anderson indicated the company would apply to the city and the NEB concurrently, and he expected the process would take weeks, not months.
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/mayor-will-reject-kinder-morgan-s-land-re...
Harper style bully tactics aren't going to work. They may be able to force the city to comply but they can't force the people. With the city officially against the project citizens will physically block work crews and police will stand down.
This is the result of decades of environmental activists educating people. Our democracy may be feeble but we do have freedom to act and to take back power.
They can threaten the country with economic devastation but people can now see that the risk of evironmental devastation far outweighs any short term benefits. That is thanks to environment activists and having truth on their side.
Thu, 2014-07-24 19:26
#490
Actually Pondering the city of Burnaby is an NDP stronghold including the ruling civic party the BCA. It has been in power for over 25 years because it understands what the people really want.To become a member of the BCA one must first be a member of the BC NDP. However the provincial party has absolutely no say in what goes on inside the municipal party.
Derek is a proud recipient of a long tradition. They are environmentalists as are most NDP'ers on the West Coast. During the 20 years I lived in Burnaby I was always bragging that we had more dedicated parkland than any other municipality. That parkland was voted on at every election. For decades the BCA every election gets people to vote whether or not land should become parkland and it always passes with over 90%.
Yes Burnaby has an educated populace when it comes to things like parks and its the NDP members who have done it not some ethereal environmental activists.
These people also helped to elect Svend and Bill for decades. Here is a picture of the BCA nominees for the fall election.
For over 50 years, BCA has been successful in nominating more than 150 candidates who have been elected to municipal office in Burnaby. The BCA has held the Reeve’s or Mayor’s chair for almost 40 years, with Alan Emmott, Bob Prittie, Tom Constable, Bill Copeland, Doug Drummond and current Mayor Derek Corrigan being elected. Also, BCA has held a continuous majority on the School Board since 1983, and on Council since 1987.
In 2011, the BCA made history when the citizens of Burnaby elected BCA candidates to fill all of Burnaby’s Council & School Board positions for the second time in a row.
http://www.burnabycitizens.ca/aboutbca.html
Fri, 2014-07-25 10:39
#491
Ecuador Doused In Oil, Two Months After Drilling Begins
After Ecuador issued a permit to drill for oil in Yasuni National Park in May, there's already been one of its largest oil spills.
On July 2, state-owned oil company Petroamazonas spilled
660,00 gallons of oil into the Amazon, contaminating the Aguarico and Parahuaico rivers where the indigenous Cofan, Secoya, Kichwa and Shuar communities drink, bathe, and fish, reports Amazon Watch.
These are some of the same communities that still suffer from Chevron's toxic legacy of contamination there - with a 20-year lawsuit remaining unresolved.
The crude has reached Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, and three weeks later, no action has been taken by the environmental ministry....
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25829
Fri, 2014-07-25 10:56
#492
Gitga’at First Nation Releases Photos of Damaged Coal Carrier in Prince Rupert Harbour
HARTLEY BAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA– Arnold Clifton, Chief Councillor of the Gitga’at First Nation, returning from a commercial fishing trip early this morning when he saw the listing 228-metre Amakusa Island bulk carrier being towed into Prince Rupert harbour for repairs.
The double-bottomed ship sustained a large six-metre gash in its hull that flooded two ballast tanks when it ran aground in Prince Rupert’s outer harbour last week.
“This incident shows us just how shallow the federal government and industry’s promises of ‘world class’ ship and tanker safety are,” said Clifton. “In each of the past two groundings in Prince Rupert, a BC pilot was on board, and while these pilots are accomplished mariners, they are not immune to human error.”
The Gitga’at First Nation has launched a court challenge of the federal cabinet’s decision to approve the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and tankers project, and is seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title that would affirm that the waters and routes of marine travel through the core of Gitga’at Territory are Gitga’at’s to use, and it is for the Gitga’at to collectively decide what uses their lands, waters and resources can be put to....
http://westcoastnativenews.com/gitgaat-first-nation-releases-photos-of-d...
Sat, 2014-07-26 20:59
#493
The view from the Pithouse floor directly centered on the coordinates of the proposed Pacific Trails & Northern Gateway Pipeline Routes. — at Unistoten Camp.
Sun, 2014-07-27 10:00
#494
Rights Versus Responsibility
Thu, 2014-07-31 13:27
#495
People of Clyde River embrace old enemy to battle seismic testing
The people of Clyde River on the northeast shore of Baffin Island in Nunavut continue to protest federal plans to map the seabed with seismic testing.
The testing produces loud underwater noises and the community fears marine animals will be harmed.
That concern has led the people of this Arctic town to embrace an old enemy.
Thu, 2014-08-07 13:40
#496
City of Burnaby Challenges Constitutional Basis of NEB 73(a)
The City of Burnaby is challenging the constitutional implications of s. 73(a) of the National Energy Board Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. N-7 generally and specifically with respect to Kinder Morgan's plan to survey and perform geotechnical studies of conservation and other lands on Burnaby Mountain -- near the perilous North Ridge.
..........
Exposed: America Forces Tar Sands Oil On Europe Defying Fuel Law and Climate Peril
U.S. negotiators of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are attempting to block European attempts to tackle climate change, according to leaked documents.
The documents, published by Friends of the Earth in a report called Dirty Deals, claims American representatives are pushing the giant TTIP deal in part because they want the European Union to buy Canadian tar sands oil.
Meanwhile, the report asserts that U.S. officials are trying to water down or altogether stop the European Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) which puts limits on carbon emissions....
http://www.occupy.com/article/exposed-america-forces-tar-sands-oil-europ...
Sat, 2014-08-09 12:22
#497
Your Invitation to Change Everything
In September, heads of state are going to New York City for a historic summit on climate change. With our future on the line, we will take a weekend and use it to bend the course of history.
In New York City there will be an unprecedented climate mobilisation – in size, beauty, and impact. Our demand is a world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet. In short, a world safe from the ravages of climate change.
This moment will not be just about New York or the United States. Heads of state from around the world will be there, as will the attention of global media. We know that no single meeting or summit will “solve climate change” and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit.
We want this moment to be about us – the people who are standing up in our communities, to organise, to build power, and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.
To do that, we need to act – together.
Click here to get more information about the flagship NYC march
Sun, 2014-08-10 18:19
#498
Your Invitation to Change Everything
In September, heads of state are going to New York City for a historic summit on climate change. With our future on the line, we will take a weekend and use it to bend the course of history.
In New York City there will be an unprecedented climate mobilisation – in size, beauty, and impact. Our demand is a world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet. In short, a world safe from the ravages of climate change.
This moment will not be just about New York or the United States. Heads of state from around the world will be there, as will the attention of global media. We know that no single meeting or summit will “solve climate change” and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit.
We want this moment to be about us – the people who are standing up in our communities, to organise, to build power, and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.
To do that, we need to act – together.
Click here to get more information about the flagship NYC march
I hope there will be sympathy demonstrations in other cities for those of us who can't make it to NYC.
Tue, 2014-10-07 07:11
#499
NEB orders Kinder Morgan to reveal its "secret” oil disaster response plans
Vancouver, Burnaby, the provincial government and First Nations win a ruling denying the oil pipeline company's request to keep its emergency management plans confidential
Texas-based Kinder Morgan has been ordered to disclose its emergency response plans for oil spills and catastrophic fires for its proposed Edmonton-to-Burnaby pipeline expansion proposal, despite attempts by the company keep its plans secret.
Vancouver, Burnaby, the B.C. government and First Nations had been pressuring the company for full disclosure of the plans, but Kinder Morgan had been objecting all summer.
Finally in August, the company asked the National Energy Board to make its emergency plans sealed as confidential, arguing that disclosure of its spill and fire preparedness documents could leave its personnel, pipelines, storage tanks, and marine terminal vulnerable to security threats.
But the NEB struck down the company’s request in a Sept.25 ruling. Kinder Morgan is now ordered to disclose the plans, minus any necessary redactions.
The City of Burnaby's lawyer said on Monday that the company's concerns were not justified.
“Kinder Morgan’s claim that they had some sort of proprietary interest – that they couldn’t make [their emergency plans] available for commercial reasons, and to keep them secret…to us that really underplays the importance of emergency planning,” said Gregory McDade, Q.C.
“They say because the tank farm has never blown up or caught on fire – that there’s no risk. We say, because the potential is catastrophic -- and it does happen – that we have to have a plan," added the lawyer.
Kinder Morgan said Monday it is reviewing the NEB decision....
Tue, 2014-10-07 13:37
#500
Kinder Morgan Surveyor Office Blocked by 'Pipeline'
quote:
"Early this morning the entrance to McElhanney’s downtown Vancouver office was blockaded. The doors were locked, a “bitumen pipeline” blocked the stairs and posters were pasted. The action is in response to McElhanney’s participation in surveying for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project in Burnaby .
"The proposal aims to increase the number of barrels of Alberta bitumen delivered to Burnaby and the Salish Sea from 300,000 barrels a day to 890,000 a day. This would result in an astronomical and dangerous increase in tanker traffic through the Burrard Inlet. The expansion crosses the unceded territory of many Indigenous nations and is evidence of continued oppressive colonization and rampant capitalist greed. Resistance to this project is strong and unwavering!
"The Secwepemc Women Warrior Society has been vocally opposed to the projects' intrusion through the heart of their territory, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation has launched a legal battle as well as created a treaty with surrounding nations vowing to protect the Salish Sea, even local mayors are standing up in opposition. Despite the resounding no from affected communities, Kinder Morgan is continuing with the project and hiring companies to do invasive studies that are against Coast Salish law and even “Canadian” colonial bylaws. No means no and the people, led by Indigenous resistance are not backing down to corporations!
"This disruption has been brought to you by a group of friends who refuse to accept, and are committed to resisting, the continued colonization of indigenous territories by corporations and government. We oppose the oppressive nature of the oil and gas industry in our fight for climate and social justice. We stand in solidarity with frontline communities who are fighting destructive and oppressive resource extraction projects."...
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/photo/kider-morgan-surveyor-office-blocked...
Wed, 2014-10-08 13:15
#501
Conservation Area Under Attack
Protests and Legal Rights Workshop
A practical workshop on your legal rights at public demonstrations will be held this Thursday, October 9, 2014, at 7:00PM. The workshop is for the people who want to be directly involved in the effort to stop Kinder Morgan in the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. The purpose of the workshop is to provide information on constitutional, civil and legal rights in the context of non-violent protests and civil disobedience. The workshop will also deal with access to legal advice, a proposed code of conduct, and mobilizing community support. Speakers include: Josh Patterson, LL.B., B.C. Civil Rights Association, Neil Chantler, LL.B, Chantler & Co., Kevin Washbrook, Voters Taking Action on Climate Change (VTACC) and others. The workshop will be held at 7:00 PM at the Capitol Hill Community Hall, 361 Howard Ave, Burnaby, B.C. (where Empire Drive and Howard Ave converge at Hastings St.). A map can be found here. Please register in advance at [email protected]
Background readings
- Know Your Rights at protests and demonstrations
- The Arrest Handbook - A Guide to Your Rights by David Eby, BC Civil Liberties Association
- Civil Disobedience: A Legal Handbook for Activists Environmental Law Centre, University of Victoria
- Guide to the Law of Protests in British Columbia by Leo McGrady, LL.B.
- Draft Action Agreement