How this pipeline threatens our coast.
The heart of Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway proposal is a 1,700km pipeline that would pump 500,000 barrels of raw bitumen each per day from Alberta’s oilsands to BC’s pristine north coast. From there, they’d ship the bitumen overseas in giant supertankers.
This project poses unacceptable risks.
- These northern waters are notoriously hazardous. Sending in 200 supertankers each year makes oil spills very likely.
- This northern coastline is uniquely fragile and ecologically diverse. Even a modest spill could contaminate this coast for decades.
- A coastal spill or pipeline leak would threaten coastal communities, including 45,000 jobs in the fishery and tourism industries.
- 130 BC First Nations are opposing this project as a threat to their traditional ways of life and Aboriginal title.
- Shipping out this much raw bitumen closes the door on jobs—tens of thousands of good-paying processing jobs in the energy sector.
The Harper Conservatives are pushing this pipeline in an unbalanced way:
- Their “Trojan Horse” Budget Implementation Act weakens the environmental assessment process for pipelines and other major energy projects.
- The same bill gives Conservative Cabinet Ministers special powers to approve major pipeline projects—regardless of environmental assessment results.
- Cabinet Ministers have dismissed opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline as “radicals” backed by “foreign money.”
New Democrats have a plan to build a strong Canadian energy sector:
- Our plan includes well-managed development of oil and gas resources, with more value-added processing here at home.
- Our plan includes smart investment in tomorrow’s cleaner energy alternatives — including renewable energy and advanced conservation.
- Our plan does not include this reckless pipeline.
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