Mounting opposition from environmentalists have delayed a number of oil industry projects, here are the top four. 1) Keystone XL Keystone XL is a proposed 1,897-kilometre pipeline that would carry crude oil from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., where it would link up with other pipelines that run to the Gulf Coast and the […]
Comment: Train riskier than pipeline for oil
People who are adamantly protesting the Northern Gateway pipeline’s tentative approval seem to forget one very important thing. Both the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Railways are ready to use “unit trains,” similar to the coal trains that rumble along to the Roberts Bank super port, but instead of coal, the trains will be […]
Comment: Seizing an opportunity
Prior to a recent tour of British Columbia, I thought people in the province were opposed to shipping the product of Canada’s oil sands through their province. But I saw firsthand that the reality is far more complex. The natural inclination for many Albertans is to tell the people of BC about the economic benefits […]
Grounding in Prince Rupert Shows Tanker Risks
Earlier this month a 750-foot coal carrier ran aground outside Prince Rupert in British Columbia. While there wasn’t a spill, critics were quick to take advantage of the situation and declare a proposed pipeline in the region underscores the risks of increasing tanker traffic. The Japanese-flagged ‘Amakusa Island’ was moving from its berth at a […]
Burnaby B.C. says “NO” to Kinder Morgan
Kinder Morgan‘s National Energy Board review of its Trans Mountain pipeline is on a seven month delay. The reason is a lack of cooperation from Burnaby. The NEB agency wants information about a preferred new Burnaby Mountain route, but Burnaby is not allowing engineers and other specialists hired by Trans Mountain on to city property. […]
Comment: Northern Gateway exposes Canada’s fractures
In late June, the federal government announced Enbridge’s $7.9-billion Northern Gateway Pipeline can proceed if it meets the National Energy Board’s 209 conditions. That’s indicative of a multiplicity of concerns around a project that includes a 1,200-kilometre pipeline that would traverse some of the most wild and spectacular terrain in Canada, and the shipping of […]
Comment: Jeff Immelt is the right guy to make changes in the oil sands
General Electric Co. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Immelt is just what Canada needs to develop its oil sands — an American leader with stature in Washington, on Wall Street, in the oil patch and in Silicon Valley. He said this week that GE will help companies clean up the oil sands so that […]
Comment: Pipeline east little benefit for Ontario
The Northern Gateway Project, promises to keep British Columbia mired in debate for years to come. Despite the National Energy Board’s recent approval, staunch opposition from First Nations groups and environmentalists looks set to suspend the pipeline in a state of legal limbo. Across the border, meanwhile, the high-stakes world of pipeline politics means U.S. […]
A public survey suggests the Harper government is out of touch with Canadians
The Federal Finance Department had a public opinion survey done and the results are not something the Harper government can be proud of. The results suggest the Tories key policies are not in sync with what Canadians want. Of particular interest to Alberta’s oil industry would be the results concerning the Northern Gateway pipeline. People […]
Social licence – what does it mean?
One thing about big energy projects is they are bound to attract opposition groups. That is certainly the case for Enbridge’s Northern gateway pipeline. Despite the federal governments approval (pending conditions being met), opposition to the project forges on. In the past investors were able to think of these groups as obstacles that will be […]