Tanker Ban and Enbridge Pipeline

Dear Constituents,

Now that the National Energy Board hearings into the proposed Enbridge pipeline are under way, I want to reiterate my opposition to the project. My NDP colleagues and I have been advocating against this proposal since it was first announced. It is neither in the best interests of Canadians, nor does it meet the criteria of what constitutes sustainable development.

The two 1,170-kilometre pipelines would cross more than 1,000 streams and rivers. Each year, 225 oil tankers (some eight times the size of the Exxon Valdez) would navigate the narrow and dangerous Hecate Straight to collect the 525,000 barrels of corrosive oilsands bitumen that would flow through these pipes each day. Former BC Deputy Minister of the Environment Thomas Gunton warns that oil spills are part of the pipeline business and that Enbridge averages about 70 spills a year on its pipelines. Many First Nations in the interior and along the coast have mobilized against the project. Environmental groups are continuing their push. Prince William Sound has still not recovered from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.

We need to account for the enormous potential magnitude of environmental and economic damage if there is an accident on the pipeline route or at sea with a tanker. Spills of this nature would jeopardize the fishing and tourism industries in BC putting tens of thousands of livelihoods and the stability of those communities at risk. A tanker accident in the long and narrow navigable waterway could destroy our fragile coastline. Even if we look at what the industry considers standard and “acceptable”, the pipeline would lead to over a thousand barrels of oil leaked from the pipeline each year. We have to ask ourselves whether it is in the public interest to accept the high level of risk that is associated with standard industry practice

We also have to consider the economic impact. The wild salmon economy alone generates $1.7 billion each year in BC. The Conservative government is ignoring the vital link between BC’s economy and its ecosystems.

Further, this pipeline would contribute to the rapid and unchecked expansion of Canada’s oil sands that the current government has permitted without any regard for economic sustainability, or the effects of this unchecked development on greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting climate change.

Development of the oil sands should take place within the context of a coherent and credible national energy strategy that will be good for the Canadian economy and good for our environment, one that has a transition to green energy and renewable technologies at its core. The government talks big about jobs, but the pipeline will export raw bitumen, meaning Canadian refining jobs would be exported abroad.

At the moment, the project is being assessed by the National Energy Board (NEB) to determine whether the project is in the public interest. New Democrats believe that the environmental assessment process must include the voices of all Canadians who have a stake in outcome, from first nations to local residents, from small business to industry. To declare opponents to a project “radicals” or try to slander them as representing foreign interests is anti-democratic and patently out-of-touch. It is hypocritical that Mr. Harper considers foreign oil interests his friends while branding people who care about our shared global environment as his enemies.

Convincing the NEB to reject the proposal is the best way of stopping the project, and that is where our collective effort should lie. I have joined the thousands of British Columbians in signing up to make an oral statement at the hearing. Thanks to the many Victorians who signed up, the National Energy Board will be holding hearings in Victoria. I will also be making a written submission (letter of comment) to the NEB outlining in detail the reasons why this project is clearly contrary to the public interest.

I continue to work with groups like the Dogwood Initiative who have mobilized against the project. This past year, we held a community forum together with the Sierra Club, the Dogwood Initiative and the Georgia Straight Alliance and MLA Rob Fleming on stopping the oil tanker traffic and building sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels.

I have worked with these organizations to continuously circulate a petitison in support of a permanent moratorium against tanker traffic. If you’re willing, I have attached the most current petition, which you can circulate and then send to my Ottawa office.

In my pre-budget consultation submissions to the federal government I have consistently called for an emphasis on supporting the green economy and investments in sustainable initiatives in order to move Canada away from its reliance on fossil fuels and dangerous projects like the Northern Gateway. The NDP as a whole is also calling for the federal government to develop a strategy that protects the environment and supports the green economy.

Rest assured that my NDP colleagues and I will continue to fight the proposed Northern Gateway project at this critical juncture. And we will continue to hold the conservative government to account for its one-sided support for this project, where big business is prioritized over communities, sustainability and the environment.

But it is important that as many voices speak up as are opposed to the pipeline project.

Consider joining one (or many) of the groups that are rallying to oppose the project – Dogwood, the Sierra Club and the Georgia Straight Alliance come to mind. You should also check out Nathan Cullen’s website (MP for Skeena-Bulley Valley – the riding where the pipeline would cut through) for information and updates on our opposition to the pipeline.

Please also consider sending a message to the NEB that the pipeline and tanker traffic are not in the public interest. While the application deadline to make an oral statement is passed, it is not too late to submit a written statement to the hearing. You can find details on how to submit your own letter of comment on the NEB website at http://gatewaypanel.review-examen.gc.ca/ (click on the “Letter of Comment tab on the left-hand side).

And if you have not done so already, I encourage you to write a letter to the Environment Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources about your concerns. If the NEB does approve the project, the federal cabinet will have the final say on whether the project goes ahead or not. It’s also important to let the government know that their irresponsible statements dismissing legitimately concerned British Columbians as radical environmentalists are unacceptable in a free and democratic society that should honour free open debate on important matters of public policy:

We also need to continue to put pressure on the government and proponents of the project through the media. I know this can be difficult for individuals to do alone – all the more reason to join a group like those I mentioned.

I’m glad to see so many Victorians voicing their opposition to this short-sighted project. It’s through people like you that we have a chance at succeeding in protecting our precious inland and coastal regions.

Denise