The recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling should give pause to Enbridge to consider that Port of Prince Rupert as a viable alternative of its plan to build two pipelines from Bruderheim, northeast of Edmonton, to Kitimat, B.C. Certainly the ruling strengthens the hand of the many small native bands that fish the tributaries of […]
Poll shows how Alberta & B.C. residents feel about Northern Gateway
Support for the pipeline that would run from northern Alberta through B.C. to the west coast is split between the two provinces, but it’s slipping in both. According to a poll by Insights West, two-thirds of Albertans support the pipeline. That’s a drop from three out of four in January 2013. In B.C. Enbridge’s project […]
Help for oil spill cleanup
MIT researchers think they have found a way to separate oil from water after a major spill. Their newly developed membrane could process large quantities of the finely mixed materials back into pure oil and water. In addition to its possible role in cleaning up spills, the new method could also be used for routine […]
Protest stalls ExxonMobile operations abroad
By spill standards and protests – neither one was large, but it’s possible a point was still made. A dozen barrels of oil had spilled on ExxonMobil property at Ekat in Nigeria. After that about 500 forced operations to grind to a halt at the oil companies airstrip. For the protestors this last incident was […]
Pipeline exporting crude isn’t good for Canada, job creation
A recent opinion piece 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, […]
What category do you file this idea under?
Oil companies in Northern Alberta have used air cannons to scare birds from tailings ponds. The next step to “protecting” wildlife from being impacted by the oil industry might be setting off explosives to deter whales from swimming near any potential spill from tankers on the west coast. The Globe and Mail obtained documents outlining […]
Comment: MP Speaks out in favour of pipelines
Re: Protestors disapprove pipeline decision (The News, June 20) While pipeline protesters are ideologically opposed to resource development, I think most people will agree that the only rational way for governments to deal with major development projects is to base those decisions on facts and expert scientific advice. That is why, four years ago, the […]
Comment: The Supreme Court rules on First Nations rights and Canadians duty
A Supreme Court decision in June has better defined what is meant, and owed to First Nations bands, by the term “aboriginal title” in this country. A long-sought victory for a collection of bands in central British Columbia has obvious implications for development on Crown land in areas not covered by treaty, most obviously the […]
Safety is priority one when it comes to transporting the oil industry’s products
It doesn’t matter how it is being transported around the country the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) wants you to know the oil industry is doing all it can to prevent accidents. CAPP V.P. Greg Stringham says his organization has pushed for a number of changes to rail transportation since the Lac Megantic tragedy […]
Fears an increase in oil tanker traffic in BC poses risks to wildlife
With the possibility of more oil tanker traffic along the BC coast, the State of Washington commissioned a study to consider the damage a spill could cause to the environment. The state’s Ecology Department returned with a report suggesting wildlife, sea otters in particular, would be at great risk. “The relative risk of an oil […]