No Pipelines, No Tankers

28 Pages·2012·7.53 MB·English

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Contents
Introduc(cid:2) on 3
Tar Sands: not your everyday crude 4
A toxic trio: Federal and Alberta governments join with Big Oil companies to
promote the tar sands 4
Cut o(cid:3) the arteries: Targe(cid:2) ng tar sands pipelines 7
Tar sands pipelines pose heightened risks 8
Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Pro(cid:2) le 9
Enbridge Northern Gateway Project: Helping unleash a Canadian carbon bomb 9
Pipeline and tanker spills: Too much at risk 10
Enbridge pipeline project threatens livelihoods and jobs 11
Indigenous and First Na(cid:2) ons rights and opposi(cid:2) on 14
People Power: Saying “no” to the Enbridge project 15
Where do governments stand? 16
Kinder Morgan Project Pro(cid:2) le 17
Kinder Morgan Project: Helping unleash a Canadian carbon bomb 18
Pipeline and tanker spills: Too much at risk 18
Too many tankers, too li(cid:4) le space 20
Indigenous and First Na(cid:2) ons rights and opposi(cid:2) on 22
People Power: Saying “no!” to Kinder Morgan 23
Where do governments stand? 24
Conclusion: No pipelines! No tankers! 25
1
Ki(cid:2) mat, BC. Photo by Sam Beebe, Ecotrust, CC By 3.0
2
“We are an emerging energy superpower....We have abundant supplies of
virtually every form of energy. And you know, we want to sell our energy to
people who want to buy our energy. It’s that simple.”
- Prime Minister Harper, speaking to corporate leaders at a Canada-China
business dinner in Guangzhou, China.1
“We are suppor(cid:2) ve of the [Enbridge Northern] Gateway project because it
will open up exports.”
- Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, at a conference of Canadian energy
ministers in Kananaskis, Alberta.2
The Harper and Alberta governments alongside Big Oil companies have made it abun-
dantly clear they view the tar sands (also known as oil sands or natural bitumen) as a key
economic driver in Canada. They are intent on increasing produc(cid:2) on and exports. The En-
bridge Northern Gateway Project and the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expan-
sion are cri(cid:2) cal components to this vision. This report provides pipeline pro(cid:5) les for both
pipelines projects, which would cut across B.C. to ship tar sands crude to interna(cid:2) onal
markets from coastal waters. These pro(cid:5) les examine what these projects are proposing,
what the risks are, what opposi(cid:2) on exists, and where governments stand.
LLiivviinngg ddoowwnnssttrreeaamm ffrroomm tthhee ttaarr ssaannddss..
TThhee ttaarr ssaannddss aarree aa hhuummaann rriigghhttss iissssuuee.. FFiirrsstt NNaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn TTrreeaa(cid:2)(cid:2) eess ffoorr ccoommmmuunnii(cid:2)(cid:2) eess llooccaatteedd
ddoowwnnssttrreeaamm ffrroomm tthhee ttaarr ssaannddss ssttaattee tthhaatt tthhee llaannddss ooff FFiirrsstt NNaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnss ccaannnnoott bbee ccoomm--
pprroommiisseedd bbyy uunnccoonnttrroolllleedd ddeevveellooppmmeenntt oorr tthhrreeaatteenn FFiirrsstt NNaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnss’’ ccuullttuurree aanndd ttrraaddii--
(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnaall wwaayyss ooff lliiffee..33 YYeett ccoonncceerrnnss aanndd oobbjjeecc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnss aarree ccoonnssiisstteennttllyy rraaiisseedd oovveerr tthhee ffaaiilluurree
ttoo mmeeaanniinnggffuullllyy ccoonnssuulltt wwiitthh IInnddiiggeennoouuss ppeeoopplleess aanndd tthhee iimmppaaccttss rraappiidd ttaarr ssaannddss
ddeevveellooppmmeenntt iiss hhaavviinngg oonn aacccceessss ttoo cclleeaann wwaatteerr,, ssaaffee hhuunn(cid:2)(cid:2) nngg aanndd (cid:3)(cid:3) sshhiinngg.. TThhee ccoomm--
mmuunniittyy ooff FFoorrtt CChhiippeewwyyaann,, llooccaatteedd iinn NNoorrtthheerrnn AAllbbeerrttaa oonn tthhee nnoorrtthhwweesstt (cid:2)(cid:2) pp ooff LLaakkee
AAtthhaabbaassccaa ddoowwnnssttrreeaamm ffrroomm tthhee ttaarr ssaannddss,, hhaass eexxppeerriieenncceedd ccaanncceerr rraatteess tthhaatt aarree 3300
ppeerr cceenntt hhiigghheerr tthhaann rraatteess ooff tthhee ggeenneerraall ppooppuullaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn iinn AAllbbeerrttaa..44 TThheerree aarree aa nnuummbbeerr
ooff FFiirrsstt NNaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnss lleeggaall cchhaalllleennggeess oovveerr tthhee ttaarr ssaannddss ccuurrrreennttllyy uunnddeerrwwaayy.. WWhhiillee CCaannaaddaa
hhaass ssiiggnneedd tthhee UUNN DDeeccllaarraa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn oonn tthhee RRiigghhttss ooff IInnddiiggeennoouuss PPeeoopplleess,, wwhhiicchh rreeccooggnniizzeess
tthhee pprriinncciipplleess ooff FFrreeee,, PPrriioorr aanndd IInnffoorrmmeedd CCoonnsseenntt,, iitt ddiidd ssoo qquuaalliiffyyiinngg tthhaatt iitt oobbjjeecctteedd
1 Fekete, J., “Harper in China: PM a(cid:4) acks ‘foreign money’ behind oil sands protest, refuses to trade human rights” Postme-
dia News, 10 Feb 2012, h(cid:4) p://news.na(cid:2) onalpost.com/2012/02/10/stephen-harper-pushes-for-responsible-oil-and-gas-
trade-in-china-speech/
2 Thomas, S., “Minister's support of Enbridge raises the ire of MP” The Northern View, 21 July, 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.thenorth-
ernview.com/news/125962353.html
3 This includes First Na(cid:2) on Trea(cid:2) es 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 11. Canadian Lobbying Against the EU FQD: Ge(cid:4) ng the Facts Straight,
Council of Canadians, h(cid:4) p://canadians.org/energy/documents/tarsands/lobbying-EU-FQD-facts.pdf
4 Droitsch, D. and Simieritsch, T. Canadian Aboriginal Concerns With Oil Sands, The Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute, 19 September 2010,
h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/pub/2083
3
Tar Sands: not your everyday crude
Northern Alberta’s tar sands contain 171.3 billion barrels of recoverable bitumen, a tar-
like substance that requires intensive processing to become gas. It is the third largest
petroleum deposit globally. The mining is done either through surface mining or “in situ”
techniques. The tar sands are massive, and plans are underway for expansion. There are
presently 85,000 square kilometres of land leased – an area that is larger than the size of
Scotland – where 1.9 million barrels of bitumen are produced daily. A produc(cid:2) on capacity
of 4.11 million barrels per day is now approved even though the tar sands are already hav-
ing devasta(cid:2) ng social and environmental impacts. 5
UUnnlliikkee ccoonnvveenn(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnaall ccrruuddee ooiillss,, ttaarr ssaannddss ccrruuddee iiss ttoooo tthhiicckk ttoo (cid:5)(cid:5) ooww oonn iittss oowwnn,, rreeqquuiirr--
iinngg iitt ttoo bbee hheeaatteedd ttoo hhiigghh tteemmppeerraattuurreess,, oorr ddiissssoollvveedd bbyy aa cchheemmiiccaall ssoollvveenntt.. TThhiiss nneeeedd
mmaakkeess iitt mmoorree eenneerrggyy iinntteennssiivvee ttoo pprroodduuccee tthhaann ccoonnvveenn(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnaall ooiillss.. IInn ssiittuu eexxttrraacc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn
((uusseedd ffoorr ddeeeeppeerr ddeeppoossiittss tthhaatt hheeaatt tthhee bbiittuummeenn aanndd ppuummpp iitt ttoo tthhee ssuurrffaaccee)) iiss iinn--
ccrreeaassiinnggllyy bbeeiinngg uusseedd,, aanndd iiss eevveenn mmoorree eenneerrggyy iinntteennssiivvee tthhaann ssuurrffaaccee mmiinniinngg.. OOnn aavv--
eerraaggee,, tthhee ggrreeeennhhoouussee ggaass eemmiissssiioonnss ffrroomm ttaarr ssaannddss eexxttrraacc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn aanndd uuppggrraaddiinngg aarree 33..22
ttoo 44..55 (cid:2)(cid:2) mmeess aass iinntteennssiivvee ppeerr bbaarrrreell aass ccoonnvveenn(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnaall ccrruuddee pprroodduucceedd iinn CCaannaaddaa aanndd tthhee
UU..SS..66 TThhee ttaarr ssaannddss aarree CCaannaaddaa’’ss ffaasstteesstt ggrroowwiinngg ssoouurrccee ooff ggrreeeennhhoouussee ggaass eemmiissssiioonnss..
TThheeyy aarree pprroojjeecctteedd ttoo ggrrooww nneeaarrllyy ffoouurr (cid:2)(cid:2) mmeess mmoorree tthhaann CCaannaaddaa’’ss iinndduussttrriiaall eemmiissssiioonnss
aass aa wwhhoollee ffrroomm 22000055 ttoo 22002200..777 TThhiiss ppllaacceess aann uunnffaaiirr bbuurrddeenn oonn ootthheerr sseeccttoorrss ooff tthhee
eeccoonnoommyy ttoo rreedduuccee eemmiissssiioonnss,, hheellppss ttoo uunnddoo eemmiissssiioonn rreedduucc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnss ooff ootthheerr pprroovviinncceess,,
aanndd mmaakkeess mmeeee(cid:2)(cid:2) nngg oouurr wweeaakk nnaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonnaall eemmiissssiioonn rreedduucc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn ttaarrggeett hhiigghhllyy uunnlliikkeellyy.. CChhiieeff
NNAASSAA sscciieenn(cid:2)(cid:2) sstt JJaammeess HHaannsseenn hhaass ssaaiidd tthhee ccoonn(cid:2)(cid:2) nnuueedd eexxppllooiittaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn ooff tthhee ttaarr ssaannddss iiss
““ggaammee oovveerr ffoorr tthhee cclliimmaattee..””””88
A toxic trio: Federal and Alberta governments join with Big Oil compa-
nies to promote the tar sands
The Enbridge Northern Gateway Project (ENGP) and Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion
(Kinder Morgan project) are cornerstones to this toxic trio’s vision of rapid expansion in the
tar sands. The pipelines are moving forward within a broader strategy where li(cid:4) le is being
done to actually address the serious social, environmental and economic consequences of
rapid tar sands development. Despite a series of plans and promises, the Canadian gov-
ernment does not have a single policy in place to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from
the tar sands. Broadly, Canada has failed to address its soaring greenhouse gas emissions
and has abdicated its interna(cid:2) onal commitment to deal with the global climate crisis by
abandoning the Kyoto Protocol. The federal government’s own analysis demonstrates that
currently announced federal and provincial policies only deliver one-quarter of the emis-
5 Dunbar, R.B., Exis(cid:2) ng and Proposed Canadian Oil Sands Projects,Strategy West, January 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.strategy-
west.com/downloads/StratWest_OSProjects_2011_01.pdf
6 Development of Baseline Data and Analysis of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Petroleum-Based Fuels, Na(cid:2) onal
Energy Technology Laboratory, DOE/NETL-2009/1346, 2008.
7 Dirty Oil Diplomacy, Climate Ac(cid:2) on Network, March 2012, page 8, h(cid:4) p://can.cdn.hstd.org/wp-content/up-
loads/2012/03/CAN_Dirty_Oil_Diplomacy.pdf
8 McGowan, E., “NASA’s Hansen Explains Decision to Join Keystone Pipeline Protest” Reuters, 29 August, 2011, h(cid:4) p://
www.reuters.com/ar(cid:2) cle/2011/08/29/idUS257590805720110829
4
sion reduc(cid:2) ons needed to meet the federal 2020 target.9 This target is already incredibly
weak compared to interna(cid:2) onal demands for climate ac(cid:2) on. This failure is directly linked
to the federal government’s economic interests in the tar sands. The Alberta government
also remains commi(cid:4) ed to rapid expansion of the tar sands and is failing to meaningfully
regulate their impacts. This is evident from the ongoing serious threats the tar sands pose
to land, water and air. If Alberta was a country, it would have the highest per capita carbon
footprint in the world. 10
While failing to address the nega(cid:2) ve social and environmental impacts
Budget 2012
of the tar sands, both provincial and federal governments are conduct-
ing a PR campaign to defend the tar sands and ac(cid:2) vely challenge other
The Harper government intro-
countries’ climate policies that would penalize the use of tar sands crude.
duced sweeping changes to
Documents obtained through Access to Informa(cid:2) on legisla(cid:2) on reveal
Canada’s environmental protec-
the Harper government’s “Oil Sands Advocacy Strategy.”11 This strategy
(cid:2) ons in the 2012 federal budget.
was developed in consulta(cid:2) on with the Alberta government and Big Oil
The changes include massive fund-
companies. It has targeted the Californian Low Carbon Fuel Standard,
ing cuts to Environment Canada,
Sec(cid:2) on 526 of the U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act, and the
repealing the Kyoto Protocol
European Union’s Fuel Quality Direc(cid:2) ve. These policies all aim to avoid
Implementa(cid:2) on Act, cu(cid:4) ng the
the import and use of high carbon fuels, including those that come from
Na(cid:2) onal Roundtable on the Envi-
the tar sands. The Canadian government’s counter advocacy strategy has
ronment and the Economy, ending
included ac(cid:2) ons such as guided tours of the tar sands, adver(cid:2) sements in
support for the federal ecoEnergy
newspapers, trade threats against climate policies, and direct lobbying.12
policy suite that funded energy
These e(cid:3) orts have been misleading and riddled with inaccuracies.13
e(cid:6) ciency and renewable energy,
signi(cid:3) cant changes to the federal
environmental review process
including shi(cid:7) ing greater responsi-
bility to the provinces, and weak-
ening almost every piece of federal
environmental legisla(cid:2) on.
The Fraser River, near Stout, BC. Photo by Andrew Bowden CC-BY-SA-2.0
9 Dirty Oil Diplomacy, Climate Ac(cid:2) on Network, March 2012, page 9, h(cid:4) p://can.cdn.hstd.org/wp-content/up-
loads/2012/03/CAN_Dirty_Oil_Diplomacy.pdf
10 Bramley, M., Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute Comments on Canada’s Proposed Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas
Emission Regula(cid:2) ons, July 2010, h(cid:4) p://pubs.pembina.org/reports/vehicle-regs-submission-revised-july-2010.pdf
11 Access to Informa(cid:2) on request #A-2010-02237, Pan European Oil Sands Advocacy Strategy, March 2011, h(cid:4) p://climate-
ac(cid:2) onnetwork.ca/2011/04/11/pan-european-oil-sands-advocacy-strategy-(cid:5) nal-version-11-april-2011
12 Dirty Oil Diplomacy, Climate Ac(cid:2) on Network, March 2012, h(cid:4) p://can.cdn.hstd.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/CAN_
Dirty_Oil_Diplomacy.pdf
13 Canadian Lobbying Against the EU FQD: Ge(cid:4) ng the Facts Straight, Council of Canadians, March 2012, h(cid:4) p://canadians.
org/energy/documents/tarsands/lobbying-EU-FQD-facts.pdf
5
WWiitthhoouutt aaddeeqquuaattee ppoolliicciieess ttoo ssaavvee rreevveennuueess aanndd ddiivveerrssiiffyy tthhee eeccoonnoommyy iinn pprreeppaarraa--
(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn ffoorr tthhee bbuusstt ooff tthhee ooiill bboooomm,, aa rriissiinngg ddoollllaarr lliinnkkeedd ttoo aa nnaattuurraall rreessoouurrccee ccaann hhaavvee
ddeevvaassttaa(cid:2)(cid:2) nngg ee(cid:8)(cid:8) eeccttss oonn llaabboouurr aanndd tthhee mmaannuuffaaccttuurriinngg sseeccttoorr.. TThhiiss iiss ccaalllleedd ““DDuuttcchh DDiiss--
eeaassee..”” CCaannaaddaa’’ss ddoollllaarr iiss lliinnkkeedd ttoo tthhee pprriiccee ooff ooiill aanndd oouurr eeccoonnoommiicc ffaattee iiss iinnccrreeaassiinnggllyy
(cid:2)(cid:2) eedd ttoo ooiill eexxppoorrttss aanndd pprriiccee sshhoocckkss.. CCaannaaddaa aanndd AAllbbeerrttaa aarree ffaaiilliinngg ttoo ssaavvee rreevveennuueess
ffoorr lloonngg--tteerrmm nneeeeddss aanndd tthhee ddiivveerrssii(cid:3)(cid:3) ccaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn ooff oouurr eeccoonnoommyy.. AAccccoorrddiinngg ttoo SSttaa(cid:2)(cid:2) ss(cid:2)(cid:2) ccss
CCaannaaddaa,, CCaannaaddaa lloosstt 332222,,000000 mmaannuuffaaccttuurriinngg jjoobbss bbeettwweeeenn 22000044 aanndd 22000088.. AA UUnniivveerr--
ssiittyy ooff OO(cid:9)(cid:9) aawwaa EEccoonnoommiiccss pprrooffeessssoorr’’ss rreeppoorrtt aa(cid:9)(cid:9) rriibbuutteess aallmmoosstt hhaallff ooff tthhiiss lloossss ttoo oouurr
““ppeettrroo ddoollllaarr”” aanndd ttoo DDuuttcchh ddiisseeaassee..1144 MMaakkiinngg mmaa(cid:9)(cid:9) eerrss wwoorrssee,, AAllbbeerrttaa aanndd CCaannaaddaa
ccoonn(cid:2)(cid:2) nnuuee ttoo hhaavvee ssoommee ooff tthhee lloowweesstt ooiill aanndd ggaass rrooyyaall(cid:2)(cid:2) eess iinn tthhee wwoorrlldd aanndd pprroovviiddee
ppeerrvveerrssee ffoossssiill ffuueell ssuubbssiiddiieess ooff aapppprrooxxiimmaatteellyy $$11..44 bbiilllliioonn eevveerryy yyeeaarr.. MMoorree tthhaann
The Oil Sands Advocacy Strategy is being matched by vicious a(cid:4) acks on environmental
groups and First Na(cid:2) ons. In January 2012, Ethical Oil – a right-wing, pro-tar sands organiza-
(cid:2) on – launched a targeted a(cid:4) ack to undermine the legi(cid:2) macy of environmental chari(cid:2) es
by conjuring images of “foreign-funded,” an(cid:2) -Canadian groups.16 Soon a(cid:6) er, Natural Re-
sources Minister Joe Oliver issued an open le(cid:4) er, which was published in one of Canada’s
largest newspapers, accusing “environmental and other radical groups” of threatening to
hijack Canada’s regulatory system in order to “achieve their radical ideological agenda.”17
The le(cid:4) er went on to accuse groups of being under the control of rich American inter-
est groups that are trying to undermine the Canadian economy. This baseless a(cid:4) ack has
since been expanded by the Harper government. So-called “eco-extremists” (also known
as Canadian environmental organiza(cid:2) ons) are now included in the Harper government’s
new an(cid:2) -terrorism strategy,18 federal budget money has been set aside to scru(cid:2) nize en-
vironmental chari(cid:2) es’ spending, and Environment Minister Peter Kent has accused some
environmental chari(cid:2) es of being fronts for laundering o(cid:3) shore foreign funds.19
14 Coulombe et al., “Does the Canadian Economy Su(cid:3) er from Dutch Disease?” Tinbergen Ins(cid:2) tute Discussion Paper, 2012,
h(cid:4) p://aix1.uo(cid:4) awa.ca/~scoulomb/pages/BBC2012.pdf
15 De Souza, M., “Majority of oilsands ownership and pro(cid:5) ts are foreign, says analysis” Postmedia News, 10 May 2012,
h(cid:4) p://www.canada.com/business/Majority+oilsands+ownership+pro(cid:5) ts+foreign+says+analysis/6599547/story.html
16 EthicalOil.org, h(cid:4) p://www.ethicaloil.org/
17 An open le(cid:4) er fromthe Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources ,on Canada’s commitment to diver-
sify our energy markets and the need to further streamline the regulatory process in order to advance Canada’s
na(cid:2) onal economic interest, Natural Resources Canada, 9 January 2012, h(cid:4) p://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media-room/news-
release/2012/1/3520
18 Dirty Oil Diplomacy, Climate Ac(cid:2) on Network, March 2012, page 11, h(cid:4) p://can.cdn.hstd.org/wp-content/up-
loads/2012/03/CAN_Dirty_Oil_Diplomacy.pdf
19 “Environmental chari(cid:2) es don’t top list of foreign-funding groups” The Canadian Press, 10 May 2012, h(cid:4) p://www.cbc.ca/
news/poli(cid:2) cs/story/2012/05/10/pol-cp-chari(cid:2) es-foreign-fundraising.html
6
TTaarr ssaannddss pprroodduucc(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn iiss rreessppoonnssiibbllee ffoorr bbootthh tthhee ddeeppllee(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn aanndd ccoonnttaammiinnaa(cid:2)(cid:2) oonn ooff
wwaatteerr iinn AAllbbeerrttaa.. MMiinniinngg rreeqquuiirreess bbeettwweeeenn ttwwoo ttoo ffoouurr bbaarrrreellss ooff wwaatteerr ppeerr bbaarrrreell ooff
ooiill ttoo eexxttrraacctt aanndd uuppggrraaddee oonnee bbaarrrreell ooff bbiittuummeenn,, aanndd aarroouunndd aa bbaarrrreell--aanndd--aa--hhaallff ooff
wwaatteerr ffoorr iinn ssiittuu tteecchhnniiqquueess.. TThhiiss wwaatteerr iiss ttaakkeenn ffrroomm tthhee AAtthhaabbaassccaa RRiivveerr,, wwhhiicchh iiss
nnooww sshhoowwiinngg ssiiggnnss ooff ssttrreessss dduurriinngg llooww--(cid:5)(cid:5) ooww ppeerriiooddss..2200 TThhee ttaarr ssaannddss pprroodduuccee llaarrggee
aammoouunnttss ooff ttooxxiicc wwaatteerr,, wwhhiicchh aarree ssttoorreedd iinn mmaassssiivvee ttaaiilliinnggss llaakkeess.. TThheessee llaakkeess aallrreeaaddyy
ccoovveerr mmoorree tthhaann 117700 ssqquuaarree kkiilloommeettrreess ooff llaanndd..2211 AA rreeppoorrtt bbyy EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall DDeeffeennccee
eess(cid:2)(cid:2) mmaatteess tthhaatt eelleevveenn mmiilllliioonn lliittrreess ooff ttooxxiicc wwaatteerr lleeaakk ffrroomm tthhee llaakkeess eevveerryy ddaayy,, sseeeepp--
iinngg iinnttoo tthhee wwaatteerrsshheedd..2222 RReesseeaarrcchh lleedd bbyy rreennoowwnneedd wwaatteerr eexxppeerrtt DDrr.. DDaavviidd SScchhiinnddlleerr
hhaass ccoonn(cid:3)(cid:3) rrmmeedd tthhaatt ttaarr ssaannddss ddeevveellooppmmeenntt iiss ccoonnttaammiinnaa(cid:2)(cid:2) nngg tthhee AAtthhaabbaassccaa RRiivveerr bbyy
bbootthh aaiirrbboorrnnee aanndd wwaatteerrbboorrnnee ppaatthhwwaayyss..2233
Cut o(cid:3) the arteries: Targe(cid:4) ng tar sands pipelines
“[I]f there was something that kept me up at night, it would be the fear that
before too long we’re going to be landlocked in bitumen.”
- Alberta’s former Energy Minister and current Finance Minister, Ron Leipert.24
The Council of Canadians, with many others involved in the social movement to stop the
destruc(cid:2) ve tar sands, recognizes the strategic importance of stopping tar sands pipeline
expansions. The Enbridge Northern Gateway Project (ENGP) and Kinder Morgan Trans
Mountain pipeline expansion (Kinder Morgan project) are pieces in a bigger pipeline
puzzle, which also include the Keystone XL pipeline to the U.S. Gulf Coast, Enbridge’s pro-
posed reversal of the Line 9 pipeline to open up Ontario, Quebec and U.S. markets, and Big
Oil companies’ talk of shipping crude to Eastern Canada and interna(cid:2) onal markets via the
east coast. Pipeline capacity currently allows for a 50 per cent increase in tar sands produc-
(cid:2) on. Building these pipelines threatens to solidify a future where coming genera(cid:2) ons will
be dependent on tar sands crude. These pipelines also present unique threats to impacted
communi(cid:2) es along the routes.
Jasper, AB. Photo © Dave Dyet, stock.xchng
20 Water Impacts, OilSandsWatch.org, Pembina, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/oil-sands/os101/water
21 Tailings, OilSandsWatch,org, Pembina, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/oil-sands/os101/tailings
22 Hatch, C. and Price, M. Canada’s Toxic Tar Sands: The Most Destruc(cid:2) ve Project on Earth, Environmental Defence, Febru-
ary 2008, h(cid:4) p://environmentaldefence.ca/sites/default/(cid:5) les/report_(cid:5) les/TarSands_TheReport.pdf
23 Wingrove, J., “Elevated levels of toxins found in Athabasca River” The Globe and Mail, 30 August 2010, h(cid:4) p://www.
theglobeandmail.com/news/na(cid:2) onal/prairies/elevated-levels-of-toxins-found-in-athabasca-river/ar(cid:2) cle1689578/
24 Dunbar, R.B., Exis(cid:2) ng and Proposed Canadian Oil Sands Projects,Strategy West, January 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.strategywest.
com/downloads/StratWest_OSProjects_2011_01.pdf
7
Tar sands pipelines pose heightened risks
Tar sands crude is not like conven(cid:2) onal crude when it comes to transpor-
Enbridge Kalamazoo River
ta(cid:2) on, or the danger involved if there is a spill. Tar sands bitumen is so
Spill: A lesson on bitumen
thick it needs to be diluted to be transported. Diluted bitumen (dil-bit)
spills
is thicker, more acidic and sulphuric, and it contains more sediments
compared to conven(cid:2) onal crude. It is transported at high pressure and In July 2010, 19,500 barrels of
there is an increased chance of pipeline corrosion because of the speed tar sands crude were spilled into
and heat that dil-bit requires, as well as its abrasive nature.25 Natural gas the Kalamazoo River in Michi-
liquid condensate, which can be used to dilute the bitumen, increases the gan, Oregon. The spill resulted
risk of explosion for any leaked material. While industry has challenged in the evacua(cid:2) on of more than
the reality of these heightened risks, it is clear that greater understand- 60 homes, 120 visits to medical
ing is needed, along with regula(cid:2) ons speci(cid:5) c to transpor(cid:2) ng dil-bit. The centres, thousands of oil-damaged
Na(cid:2) onal Energy Board (NEB) does not di(cid:3) eren(cid:2) ate between the trans- wildlife, and drinking water, recre-
porta(cid:2) on of dil-bit and conven(cid:2) onal crude. The NEB and Alberta’s Energy a(cid:2) on and (cid:3) sh consump(cid:2) on adviso-
Conserva(cid:2) on Resources Board have not studied the risks of transpor(cid:2) ng ries. This clearly demonstrates
dil-bit, or assessed the safety factors associated with cleanups.26 the unique risks and challenges
of transpor(cid:2) ng raw bitumen.29
Once a leak has occurred, dil-bit poses heightened risks and challenges
The U.S. Environmental Protec(cid:2) on
for the cleanup process. The condensate used to dilute bitumen can
Agency (EPA) had set a deadline of
include light natural gas liquids or vola(cid:2) le petroleum products containing
September 2010 for spill cleanup.
petrochemicals and polycyclic aroma(cid:2) c hydrocarbons (PAH) such as ben-
One full year later o(cid:6) cials said
zene, xylene and toluene.27 A spill can expose water sources and nearby
a full cleanup could take years.
residents to PAHs that have been known to nega(cid:2) vely impact human
Despite the work of the EPA, sub-
health, including a(cid:3) ec(cid:2) ng the central nervous system, causing respiratory
merged bitumen has presented a
problems and cancer. Hydrogen sulphide is one of the poten(cid:2) al toxic out-
serious challenge to conven(cid:2) onal
comes of a dil-bit spill. Producers have iden(cid:2) (cid:5) ed it as a poten(cid:2) al hazard
spill response measures, forcing
since it is a gas that can cause su(cid:3) oca(cid:2) on in concentra(cid:2) ons greater than
improvisa(cid:2) on. The spill required
100 parts per million.28
the labour (cid:2) me of more than
2,000 personnel. The e(cid:8) orts in-
Whereas conven(cid:2) onal oil (cid:7) oats on the surface of water, dil-bit is heavier
cluded over 150,000 feet of boom,
and sinks in water and wetland sediments. This means that conven(cid:2) onal
175 heavy spill response trucks, 43
spill responses are not su(cid:8) cient and that dil-bit spills require more (cid:2) me
boats and 48 oil skimmers.
and resources to clean up. The heavy metals included in dil-bit are not
biodegradable, so a spill can lead to their accumula(cid:2) on in the environ-
ment. 29
25 Living Oceans Society, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Lemphers, N., Pipeline and Tanker Trouble: The
impact to Bri(cid:2) sh Columbia’s communi(cid:2) es, rivers, and Paci(cid:3) c coastline from tar sands oil transport, Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute, 29
November 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/pub/2289
26 Living Oceans Society, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Lemphers, N., Pipeline and Tanker Trouble: The
impact to Bri(cid:2) sh Columbia’s communi(cid:2) es, rivers, and Paci(cid:3) c coastline from tar sands oil transport, Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute,
page 10, 29 November 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/pub/2289
27 Living Oceans Society, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Lemphers, N., Pipeline and Tanker Trouble: The
impact to Bri(cid:2) sh Columbia’s communi(cid:2) es, rivers, and Paci(cid:3) c coastline from tar sands oil transport, Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute,
page 6, 29 November 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/pub/2289
28 Living Oceans Society, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Lemphers, N., Pipeline and Tanker Trouble: The
impact to Bri(cid:2) sh Columbia’s communi(cid:2) es, rivers, and Paci(cid:3) c coastline from tar sands oil transport, Pembina Ins(cid:2) tute,
page 7, 29 November 2011, h(cid:4) p://www.pembina.org/pub/2289
29 Swi(cid:6) , A., “Kalamazoo one year later: Anatomy of a tar sands spill” Natural Resources Defense Council Sta(cid:3) Blog, 26 July,
2011, h(cid:4) p://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswi(cid:6) /kalamazoo_one_year_later_anato.html
8