Position Paper for
Environmentalists Non-Government Organizations on
Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project
Overview
Enbridge is Canada’s largest natural gas distribution company. Founded 61 years ago, it is the single largest transporter of crude oil and petroleum products in North America. On May 27, 2010, Enbridge submitted a regulatory application for a $5.5 billion project named Northern Gateway Project (NGP). This pipeline project consists of a twin pipeline system transporting petroleum and condensate from Bruderheim, Alberta, near Edmonton, to the marine terminals in Kitimat, British Columbia. Crude oil or petroleum is used to make gasoline, lubricants for machinery, asphalt, plastics, and many others everyday necessities.
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4. Addressing legal requirements regarding aboriginal and treaty rights, and ensuring First Nations provided with the opportunities, information and resources necessary to participate in and benefit from a heavy-oil project. 5. Ensuring British Columbia receives a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of a proposed heavy oil project that reflects the level, degree and nature of the risk borne by the province, the environment and taxpayers.
Since the pipeline will put B.C. at 100% of the marine risk and a significant portion (56%) of land-based risk (Fortems, 2012), Clark notes that B.C. needs to be promised its fair share to even consider the pipeline.
Aboriginals
Aboriginals, as mentioned in the fourth condition put forward by Clark, play a large role in the project. There are more than 130 First Nations groups in Western Canada, including both treaty and non-treaty nations. More than 50% of the proposed pipeline route is placed in First Nations’ territories, and they are actively opposing the project (NRDC, 2011). They are primarily concerned that it will compromise their way of life, which depends on water for their livelihood, culture, and health. Water is a significant part of their way of life and is jeopardized by the pipelines. It is only a matter of time before an oil spill happens and endangers the land, the water, and the forests. One particular forest, the Great Bear Rainforest, is the only habitat for the
To indroduce, "the government of Canada granted approval for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project to proceed with 157 conditions (NEB)." The project includes a lot of infomation for operating. "The project proposes to expand the existing Trans Mountain pipeline system between Edmonton, AB and Burnaby, BC ,and this project includes approximately 987 km of new pipeline ,and there is new and modified facilities such as pump stations and tanks and reactivate 193 km of existing pipeline (NEB)." Moreover, this project increases the capacity of shipping from 300,000 barrels per day to 980,000 barrels per day, which brings a lot of benefits to Canadian economy (NEB). Therefore, the approval of this project not only contains many economic benefits
Canada is composed of many different regions, each with their own individual characteristic and form of government. There is always a chance of issues potentially rising when provinces have to come together to agree on controversies. One matter arising interprovincial conflict is the Alberta pipeline. Alberta needs to move their stranded oil either to the east or west coast which unfolds many tensions. Going west up brings a major conflict with British Columbia and the coast, where as going east involves passing through multiple provinces each with their own opinion of the pipeline. Most of these provinces also include crossing aboriginal land which is a whole other problem along with the premiers of each province. Reason to believe the pipeline has disadvantages include; the aboriginals protest about their land, the environmental contract with quebec, along with other provinces and transportation, a common dispute. The alberta pipeline causes conflict across the country as it affects its citizens and causes political disagreement. While the pipeline hinders national stability with the aboriginals, and between premiers it does benefit the oil and transportation industry.
The Keystone XL is a controversial oil pipeline extension that would travel from Alberta, Canada, to the United States Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL should not be built because of the damage it would cause to the environment. The oil would be found within tar sands that contain bitumen. The process of extracting the crude oil uses a lot of energy and causes a large amount of greenhouse gases. Many citizens, in Canada and the United States, are outraged because it can be detrimental to the surrounding land and wildlife. TransCanada, the company building the oil pipeline, has to receive permission from the United States government to begin construction. If the United States does not have the pipeline built and chooses to not use Canada’s oil, then TransCanada will have the pipeline built elsewhere and exported to other countries. There has been a divide between those in favor of the Keystone XL and those who are not. The Keystone XL would be able to provide the United States with a reliable source of oil, but it would also take the risk of faults in the oil pipeline and ruining parts of America’s resourceful soil. The Keystone XL will cause a negative effect on the environment and damage resourceful land; therefore, the oil pipeline should not be constructed.
Pollution is already a huge ongoing battle in the United States and if constructed the pipeline would send about 800,000 barrels of hazardous oil a day along with tons of greenhouse gases. The US Department of Environmental Protection estimates the greenhouse gas emissions from the Canadian oil will be more than 80% greater than oil refined in the US. That is roughly equivalent to the same amount of emissions released by 5.7 million passenger vehicles. Unfortunately, when emissions are passed into the air, the air cannot be cleaned, and since oxygen is a vital component in keeping humans alive, adding an oil pipeline that would put that much emissions into the air is far too dangerous for the public’s health what it’s
Almost 95 million barrels of oil and fuel are produced each day in order to provide energy and fuel to people the world over. A major component of the oil industry is the transportation of oil through various means including oil pipelines. These pipelines are capable of transporting thousands of barrels of oil thousands of miles per day. In the United States one possible pipeline has caused a lot of controversy and discussion on the impact it will have on the United States. The difficulty in deciding if the Keystone XL Pipeline should be built is in whether the possibility of economic growth outweighs the possibility of environmental destruction. In order to make a decision, one must first look into the history of oil pipelines. It is crucial
“In a few decades, the relationship between the environment, resources, and conflict may seem almost as obvious as the connection we see today between human rights, democracy, and peace (Nobel Peace Prize Medalist Maathai 2004).” A Canadian oil company that goes by TransCanada hopes to build an oil pipeline that would extend an enormous 1,200 miles onto an already gargantuan 2,600 mile long pipeline. Keystone XL represents just under a third of the entire Keystone project, and every other piece of pipe has been built and laid out. In fact, TransCanada 's pipeline system is already shipping hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil from the Canadian oil sands across the U.S. border -- and into Illinois (Diamond). The current proposal would take the pipeline on a journey all the way through to Texas. Extracting crude oil from oil sands would be enormously problematic for the environment as it causes the pumping of about 17% more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than standard crude oil extraction. Tar sand oil has levels of carbon dioxide emissions that are three to four times higher than those of conventional oil, due to more energy-intensive removal and refining processes (Friends of the Earth). The construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would stimulate employment, the effects would be temporary and the whole scheme would produce a negative long term outcome. The construction of the Keystone XL pipeline has caused
TransCanada, when asked about possible benefits of construction, stated on their website that, “Keystone XL is the definition of shovel-ready infrastructure project”. TransCanada went on to say that over 9000 hard-working Americans could be put directly to work with good-paying jobs because of the construction of the KeyStone XL Pipeline. Furthermore, while the pipeline is being created, it was estimated by TransCanada that “Over Seven million hours of labor and more than 13,000 new jobs for American workers will be created”. TransCanada goes on further, stating that “Pipelines are safe and environmentally favorable” and that they are committed to minimizing its environmental impact along the proposed route. But, TransCanada is only making these tantalizing promises in order to keep currently neutral noses out of the matter in an effort to reduce the number of naysayers of the project. In truth, the creation of the XL Pipeline is terrible damaging the environment while also hurting the proposed workers of the project.
The next major environmental issue of the pipeline is the indigenous populations. “Northern Alberta’s, where the tar sands oil comes from, people are coming under attack because of their operation of the tar sands in their livelihoods and cultural traditions.”5 Other people affected by this project are the people who live in communities downstream from the tailing ponds, “they have seen spikes in rates of rare cancers, renal failure, lupus, and hyperthyroidism.” “In the lakeside village of Fort Chipewyan, for example, one hundred of the town’s one thousand-two hundred residents have died from cancer.”5 So not only will this pipeline affect the people living around it but it will also affect the people working on it and living around the tailing ponds, wherever those may be located. With it traversing six U.S. states that means a lot of people could get sick and even die from a project that has so many issues with it before it’s even began to be used for its intended purpose.
For the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, water is sacred, and if an oil pipeline is built it will damage sites that have great historical, religious, and cultural significance to the tribe. Aside from the desecration of sacred sites, the environmental hazards caused by the pipelines and the possibility of a spill will be catastrophic. The US does not need another oil pipeline robbing innocent people of their culture, and threatening a source that keeps us alive.
The question that has arisen from this shift is whether or not the Canadian oil and gas industry inclusive of the upstream, and midstream sectors, has a net positive benefit to Canada. This essay will explore and seek to understand the myriad of issues that this industry faces daily.
Depending on their upbringings and potential distortion to one’s thought process, could lead to disregard of ongoing events. One major benefit of the Dakota Access Pipeline is the creation of more than 12,000 jobs (Dakota Access Pipeline 12). This increase in jobs would only be sustained while the pipeline is being constructed. Another benefit is the reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil and allowing the U.S. economy to grow, but a break in the pipeline could lead to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe potentially losing their only water source. One major socio-cultural issue involved is the way Native Americans perceive the Earth and its resources, compared to how Non-Natives perceive the Earth. Native Americans perceive the Earth as the provider of all life, along with it being very sacred to them. Resulting in the utmost respect for the Earth, and the responsibility for its well-being. One with opposing viewpoints should consider the rather negative and the heart wrenching history of the Native American people. Then and only then one can begin to understand the pride and heart of the Native American people. The constant battle with modern day Genocide and Colonization is one of the main driving forces behind the protest of the Dakota Access
The plan of development for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline does not address the four objects of sustainability. The pipeline plan mainly addresses the economic aspect and benefits of the construction. Dominion proposes that citizens and businesses of North Carolina and Virginia have the potential to save about $377 million dollars a year due to the lower energy cost being promised (Benefits and Economic Impact). It is also reported that the construction analysis for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline can potentially bring $456.3 million into the economy of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina (Benefits and Economic Impact). Due to the amount of money the pipeline can bring into the economy of these states, it appears that the livability, equity, and ecological impacts of the pipeline have been overlooked. Conservationists have expressed high concern about the ecological damage that will be caused by the construction, as it will cause large amounts of forest fragmentation on the planned route through the three states (Atlantic Coast Pipeline Re-route Threatens New Parts of Virginia and WV). Not only is the route of the pipeline fragmenting animal habits, causing ecological damage, it will also threaten the livelihood of many West Virginians and Virginians while not even meeting the needs of all the citizens of these states (Atlantic Coast Pipeline Re-route Threatens New Parts of Virginia and WV). Out of the four objectives of sustainability, Dominion does not adequately address the equity of the citizens of the three states. This Atlantic Coast Pipeline has the potential to be built in a manner that would protect the rights of the many landowners the pipeline is planned to go through. The pipeline could be routed to run along the transmission lines that Dominion has placed throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina (Averitt). Another option is that Dominion could have participated in free-market negotiations, this would have allowed for Dominion to
The pipeline not only poses a threat to one of only 326 Native American reservations left in this country, but also to the environment as a whole. Regardless of where you stand, the wrongdoing on the part of the United States Government is undeniable. The Dakota Access Pipeline is corrupt at its core and the dangers surrounding its construction have the potential to be catastrophic to the dwindling Native population by threatening their only source of water. A significant saying within the Sioux tribe, especially in times of protest, is a simple one, but one that is clearly not understood by some, and that is “water is
Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy transportation and distribution company in the United States and Canada. Its Liquids Pipelines segment operates common carrier and contract crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL), and refined products pipelines and terminals. The companys Gas Distribution segment operates as a natural gas utility that serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Central and Eastern Ontario, and Northern New York State, as well as in Quebec and New Brunswick. Its Gas Pipelines, Processing and Energy Services segment has interests in natural gas pipelines, including the Vector Pipeline and transmission and gathering pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as holds an interest in Aux Sable, a natural gas fractionation
The Standing Rock Reservation was given to the Native Americans to because of the significance and weight that the land held for the Standing Rock Tribe. For instance, the High Arctic Relocation, which was the forced relocation of 19 Inuit families from Quebec to the Arctic Region in the 1950s. Apihtawikosisân, a Métis woman from the Plains Cree speaking community of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, says that the relocations of indigenous people occurred as a way to reinforce sovereignty of a race or a group of people. In doing so, the effects of these relocations reverberated for generations, such as the weakening of cultural bonds, loss of economic sufficiency, decline in standards of health, changes in social and political structures, was a damaging experience for many indigenous people. While the company nor the government is telling or forcing the Standing Rock Tribe to move, the Pipeline does endanger the Native American’s way of life. The North Dakota Pipeline is essentially forcing the Standing Rock Tribe to conform so that the structure can be built under the Missouri River and near the Tribe’s Reservation and sacred areas. More instances of denying human rights or forcing indigenous people to submit, would include the human rights abuses against indigenous people in Southeast Asia. Between the Cham, the Montagnard, and the Jumma, there were rights issues regarding way of life, religious beliefs, assimilating into another culture, imprisonment, and land dispossession (Scholten). These sorts of issues are not directly tied to the Dakota Pipeline, but are related in a way that guaranteed rights were taken away or ignored when a certain group of people began to deny the human needs of the indigenous. Establishing a Pipeline under sacred grounds and near Indian Reservations can be