LandKeepers News Archive
B.C Group Protests Against New Oilsands Pipeline
December 24 2009 | News Articles | Fort McMurray Today
Carol Christian
A citizen’s group in B.C. is becoming increasingly vocal in its opposition to Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. It is calling on political leaders for meaningful change when it comes to not only stable economic sustainability but also environmental protection. In a recent letter to Enbridge and a variety of federal and provincial government officials, the Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance describes itself as a newly formed citizens’ group, based in Prince George, opposed to the Northern Gateway project. To date, it said it has over 600 people opposed to it, with support growing daily.
“It’s not an environmental group per se,” said Josh DeLeenheer, group spokesman. “If you look at the Facebook membership, you really get a sense of the diversity of this group. It’s a mixture of young and old, First Nations, non-First Nations, and we all share this very strong concern and this connection to the area. We have a desire to see this area prosper like everyone else.”
This group of concerned citizens is also talking about solutions, he added. “We want to see alternatives. We want to see those on the table. We want to see an investment and commitment especially at this time when the government is making investments in the economy to try and get it going again. Put it in the right direction. Don’t keep perpetuating these industries and help us to become more sustainable.”
The Northern Gateway project calls for a 1,170-kilometre twin pipeline from the Alberta oilsands to a new marine tanker port in Kitimat, B.C. The project is to export petroleum and import condensate (relatively light hydrocarbons). DeLeenheer openly admits his group wants this pipeline off the table: “Absolutely. We’re very clear about that.”
However, that’s not an option, according to Northern Gateway president John Carruthers. “I believe it’s very important for the project to advance (for) a number of important issues in terms of getting energy to those who need it.” He added the National Energy Board will address concern during its regulatory approval process which he described as a very thorough public process which includes public consultation hearings prior to final approval.
He expects Enbridge will file its application with the energy board early next year with the final decision possibly taking another two years. “We’ve done over two years of environmental and engineering studies and we’re just going through that to make sure our application meets the requirements of the joint review panel agreement.” Saying Northern Gateway is a “very important project,” he recognized it still has to pass the test as determined by the energy board.
“Ultimately we believe the project can be built safely, and it will be a model of world-class environmental standards,” he said this morning. “We believe that can happen, but we also believe strongly we need to demonstrate that and have a discussion on how we intend to accomplish that. It’s an important issue that needs to be addressed and we’ll talk about the plans we have in place, the money we plan to spend, the processes we’ll develop and implement to ensure that it is safe.”
DeLeenheer, added the group’s concerns predominantly focus on the environmental impacts including the “destructiveness of the tarsands” and the potential for oil spills that could jeopardize water quality as well as the wild salmon industry valued at $110 million. The group is also highly critical of the public consultation process, saying community advisory board meetings are not widely advertised, applicants are screened, media are excluded and that Enbridge facilitators have guided and controlled the discussions.
Carruthers defended meetings saying they are only one forum in the lengthy consultation process, though he acknowledged these board meetings are geared more specifically to groups. He pointed out the board’s inclusive representation includes such stakeholders as First Nations, environmental groups and government, and the meetings were envisioned as a manageable forum to share information.
They are not restricted to those solely in favour of the project, he added. “They were created by Northern Gateway in a responsive desire to have a place where interested parties could share information on the project, on an ongoing basis,” Initially, the company canvassed an estimated 1,000 organizations including environmental and recreation organizations plus trapping and fishing groups about their interest in the proposed pipeline ad the concept of a community advisory board, he recalled.
“It’s a process more conducive to representation of organizations … but I want to emphasize that the community advisory board process was a compliment to other existing public consultation activities,” said Carruthers. Those activities include pubic open houses, and local presentations and meetings. “They are just one form of community engagement.” As for media exclusion, he said the board set its own terms of reference to determine how best to proceed. “We weren’t necessarily precluding the media.”
Sea to Sands’ concerns stretch beyond broad environmental implications to include the “perpetuation of the boom-bust cycle economics in this region,” added DeLeenheer. “We really want to see the North — for those of us who have grown up in the area — we want to see it move beyond that into more sustainable practices, both economically and environmentally.” Seeing communities that are really struggling now such as Mackenzie that have fairly limited economic bases and are so susceptible to downturns in the economy, he said they regard a pipeline project like Northern Gateway as a short-term economic quick fix.
“These communities have done studies and looked at different opportunities, but it never seems to happen. It never seems to branch off in directions, so when another one of these opportunities comes along, suddenly the Northern Gateway project seems like a good opportunity for folks to get short-term jobs because everything is done so short-term. There’s a lack of foresight.”
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