Pipe-up and be heard: Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline
Wikipedia
Unless you’ve been recently living under a rock, you’re likely well aware of the exploitation of the tar sands in western Canada. What you may not understand are the very real consequences which accompany these major pipelines. Enbridge, a rich yet highly negligent energy company, wants to construct twin pipelines (Northern Gateway Pipelines) from the tar sands in Alberta all the way to the BC coast. These pipelines will stretch 1177km and will pump roughly 10,000,000 (ten million) tonnes of oil across western Canada per day, providing a mere 104 permanent jobs and around 3000 temporary jobs. But don’t be awed by those shiny numbers that these corporations dangle in front of your face like bacon to a dog – this company hides behind false claims of being a safe and sustainable company. Not only that, but the pipeline will run through valuable ecosystems, some of which are home to endemic wildlife.
Enbridge Inc’s Northern Gateway pipeline is aimed at opening up lucrative overseas markets for surging Canadian oil sands production, but it has become highly contentious as Ottawa and the oil companies that support the project seek to fend off opposition from environmental and aboriginal groups. – Reuters
Enbridge’s atrocious negligence for the environment – particularly for the people living in it – is legitimately scary. The route of the pipeline is dangerous, owing to seismic activity, frequent landslides and natural hazards that could lead to oil spills. This company is critically known for “hiding” oil from devastating spills and blatantly lying about clean-up efforts and environmental damages, such as the 2010 rupture in Michigan, resulting from their stupidity. All the while, Enbridge claims that they are sustainable and respect the environment, yet they consistently lie about amounts and cleanup of major oil spills.
Barnard Harbour.The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline would cross more than 1,000 salmon streams and rivers Source: flickr.com/photos/dogwoodinitiative
The Enbridge Facts
Here are the facts you should know about Enbridge and the Northern Gateway proposal (courtesy of Reuters).
- Top transporter of Canadian crude through its network of pipelines, the world’s longest.
- Current capacity about 2.5 million barrels a day.
- Current market value is $29 billion.
- Chief executive is Patrick Daniel.
- Pipeline would cost C$5.5 billion
- 525,000 barrels a day of oil sands-derived crude. An adjacent pipeline would carry 193,000 bpd of condensate in the opposite direction.
- Journey: crude travels 1,177 km (731 miles) across the Rocky Mountains to Kitimat on British Columbia’s Pacific Coast, from Bruderheim, Alberta, near Edmonton. At Kitimat, the oil would be loaded on to supertankers and shipped through the Douglas Channel to the Pacific and on to Asia, or along the West Coast to California.
- Start-up currently estimated in 2017.
It’s time to stand up for what’s right and change the way we, as humans, are collectively acting. Repeat the pressure that lead to Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline last month. This type of negligence in industry is simply unacceptable and we have to stop listening to the convincing voices of these corporate illusionists and start thinking for and educating ourselves. The time is now and we must act before things are too far gone. Contact your local government representatives and oil companies. Hound them until you get the answers you need.
I highly encourage all of you to watch this video and decide for yourself if the tar sands and oil in general is worth it. The video outlines many of the things I have stated above and also points out the threats humans as well. Keep in mind that we do have other sources of energy than oil that we are not exploiting, simply because oil makes more money. Please watch this video and educate yourself of the consequences that these major oil pipelines entail. If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at any time. Remember, money is replaceable, our planet isn’t – pipe-up and be heard!
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