Thursday, January 19, 2012

Northern Gateway, Northern Wall

At the end of the day it won't matter what the JRP recommends or what the Cons and Enbridge do to negate or subvert the process.  Something is different about this pipeline proposal compared to others.

The context is in so many ways changed from past proposals. The hearing process commences at a time when the world has seen the Deep Water Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Locally, people do not not need to be reminded of the destruction from the Exxon Valdez. And the black bleakness of the Tar Sands, for which this pipeline is proposed as servant, are infamous for their contribution to catastrophic climate change and our race to the bottom energy addiction.

Like the gas line in the Northwest Territories, numerous First Nations and communities are being bribed with jobs to harbour the siphon. Except Northern BC is not the early double-aughts NWT. Communities and people largely do not appear to want to all be heavy equipment operators in the pipeline. This is much bigger than 'good union jobs.' Ordinary people do not want to be responsible for enabling something which could kill the living breathing Northwest coast or the endless lakes, rivers, and forests across the route.

The ignorant felling of 14 trees by Enbridge's reconnaissance platoon, the appalling comments at the beginning of the hearing process by the Ethical Oil stained Harper Regime have served to set intractable terms between us and them. The consequent comments by First Nations leaders confirm this.

People will risk their lives to stop this pipeline because it threatens their homes and it imperils the living future of the planet. If approved, it will not be constructed without bloodshed.  One thousand one hundred and seventy seven kilometres of exposed pipe is a lot to build and defend.

The Northern Gateway is a threshold. Energy politics in Canada will not be the same.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A Vancouver company, is working with Vanadium, which has excellent properties for energy storage, of renewable energy. Vanadium is used to strengthen steel.

China has a lot of Vanadium, and fully intends to use it for their energy

I don't speak geek. However, the info is on the net.

I wonder if that is why, Harper is in such a panic, to get the dirty oil into China as fast as he can?

kootcoot said...

"People will risk their lives to stop this pipeline because it threatens their homes and it imperils the living future of the planet. If approved, it will not be constructed without bloodshed."

You've been reading my mail..........

Steve said...

Why is no one raising the red flag on the fact that Canada imports half its oil, so how does it make sense to send it to China or Texas when Ontario is a huge local market?

Anonymous said...

Not too worried about this event as it is just a delay. Inevitably the pipeline will be built. A lot of FN people here are dependent on it for their livelihood.

Boris said...

WWU, you sound just a little scripted. Somebody paying you to write that stuff?

Boris said...

WWU my last comment was a little tongue in cheek. A couple of things you might want to consider:

Inevitably the pipeline will be built. A lot of FN people here are dependent on it for their livelihood.

No, not inevitably. The recent history of pipeline construction in Canada and the US is not good. The Mackenzie project has been approved but construction hasn't started and may not ever. The Keystone XL is fiction now. There's nothing to suggest the NGP is somehow special.

In terms of First Nation dependence, they've been getting on without a pipeline since their distant ancestors crossed the Bering land-bridge. A few months construction work on the pipeline does not qualify as a livelihood. Even where you are in Fort Mac, you and your union job are dependent on non-renewable resource. Sure there's a lot of bitumen left up there but ultimately it will run out or likely long beforehand, the social, economic, or political conditions in Canada and the world will change in such a way to that extraction slows or stops.

Anonymous said...

FN people have been getting on yes, but I'd rather see them prosper than just get by.

The pipeline is only one small piece of the puzzle. Production will soon surpass our capacity to bring the bitumen to market. The pipeline is important to keep the economy moving forward. There's enough proven reserves in the ground to ensure I'll be long gone before it runs out. By then I'm sure we will have come up with some new energy resources. In the meantime, we remain confident the pipeline will be built because the Canada's economic security demands it.

....and yes I know all about the sporadic nature of the construction industry as my livelihood is tied in to it.

sailsmart said...

In one year's time when the presentations are over, no doubt there will be a catastrophic accident yet again, either from fracking (which is soon to be banned) to a forest fire, or major spill. The Kalamazoo is still one year and a half later not cleaned. We are still waiting for tailings ponds toxins to be revealed. Once the Republican oilies are dumped as charlatans, when the investors bail, when the EU calls tarsands oil unacceptable for import, the shell game will implode.

sailsmart said...

Harper's big word is incremental. As oil works, it spoils the water, then the land which becomes so toxic that only mining will gain. And that's what the next stage of mining for gold and metals comes into play. However, karma is going to strike the greedy - water is much more valuable than money for commodities. Gold and copper are of no value without water.