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Pipelines Reborn: They're Back Thanks to Trump

January 25, 2017 Add Comment Edit

The day after Donald J Trump fired the first salvos in his war against the EPA and others, he delivered on his promise to double down on fossil fuels with the approval of two pipelines. On Tuesday, January 24th, Trump signed Executive Orders that overturn the Obama administration's decision on the Keystone XL (KXL) and the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL). This authorizes TransCanada Pipelines to move forward with the 1,179-mile KXL and Energy Transfer Partners can also proceed with the 1,172-mile DAPL.

This is a blow for environmentalists and indigenous people who had fought hard to shut down the KXL and DAPL. Keystone was killed by President Barack Obama after years of protests and DAPL was stalled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the face of massive protests by indigenous people led by the Standing Rock Sioux.

Trump also signed an EO that will eliminate environmental regulations associated with the permitting process.

There are massive environmental costs associated with pipelines. They inevitably spill (click here to see a partial summary of oil spills in 2016). Even more importantly, they contribute climate change causing greenhouse gasses (GHGs) to the atmosphere at a time when we cannot afford further increases (we are currently 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial norms and scientists conservatively estimate that we cannot afford to go beyond 2 degrees Celsius).

DAPL will ferry 570,000 barrels of dirty shale oil from North Dakota to the Gulf Coast. The pipeline imperils the drinking water of 17 million people. The emissions from this pipeline are equivalent to 30 coal plants. According to Oil Change International DAPL will create "101.4 million metric tons of CO2e per year. These emissions are equivalent to 29.5 typical U.S. coal plants or the average emissions of 21.4 million U.S. passenger vehicles."

Each day the KXL can transport 830,000 barrels of some of the dirtiest oil on Earth. The Friends of the Earth reports that the GHGs associated with this pipeline is equivalent to putting 5.6 million new cars on the roads.

The promised reopening of NAFTA will complicate the KXL which will ferry oil from Alberta's tar sands to Texas. Because it crosses a state boundary the permitting process is largely under state department control. However, there are questions as to the viability of the pipeline with oil prices seemingly stuck below $60 a barrel.

More protests and lawsuits can be expected to try to stop this administration from moving forward with pipelines that are harmful to this and future generations.

As explained Bill McKibben,

"This is not a done deal. The last time around, TransCanada was so confident they literally mowed the strip where they planned to build the pipeline before people power stopped them. People will mobilize again."

The DAPL protest has been called off with Sioux leaders looking to fight the decisions in the courts. It will also take time for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a full environmental assessment as required by law. But this could be overcome if the Army issues and easement.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders summed up the situation as follows:

"Millions of people came together all over this country to stop the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and say we must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Today, President Trump ignored the voices of millions and put the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the future of our planet."

Related
Dakota Access Pipeline Halted by Government Despite Judges Ruling (Videos)
The Dakota Access and Protest that Kills Pipelines
TransCanada's Keystone is Spewing Crude Adding Fuel to Pipeline Protests
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
Why the Keystone XL Pipedream Must Die
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Keystone XL is Rejected Energy East to Follow

November 06, 2015 Add Comment Edit

TransCanada's tar sands pipelines are being thwarted at every turn. US President Barack Obama has officially rejected the Keystone XL and the new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to cancel the Energy East.

President Obama rejected the Keystone citing the economics associated with low oil prices. He also said that building the KXL would be inconsistent with US leadership on climate change. The $7 billion dollar, 1,179 mile long KXL would have ferried 800,000 barrels a day of heavy crude oil from the tar sand pits in Alberta Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.

Last week TransCanada announced a new route for the Energy East pipeline that excluded an oil export terminal in Cacouna northeast of Quebec city. The terminal was abandoned 6 months ago due to a public outcry over the impact the project would have on the habitat of beluga whales.

The $12 billion, 4,600-kilometre Energy East pipeline would transport 1.1 million barrels of crude each day. from Alberta to Canada's east coast. It is scheduled to be completed in 2020 the year that a hoped for global climate agreement would come into effect.

The change comes a matter of days after TransCanada requested a pause in the US State Department's consideration of the Keystone XL pipeline. The request was subsequently denied and then on November 6th the KXL pipeline was cancelled outright after many years of wrangling.

In response to the news, TransCanada said that the fight for the Keystone XL is not over. They are also working on ways of keeping the Energy East afloat. They have submitted new plans for the Energy East to Canada's National Energy Board. The revised route for Energy East pipeline excludes a port in Quebec and goes directly to Irving Oil's massive refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.

While the company is trying to put a brave face on the cancellation of the Keystone XL and the rerouting of the Energy East, they are having an increasingly difficult time moving forward with their pipedreams.

The situation is destined to get worse for TransCanada as the new Liberal government has promised to prevent oil shipping along Canada's west coast and cancel the Energy East outright. TransCanada explained the rerouting indicated that their decision was made after "conducting thorough studies and consulting with many local communities," Energy East president John Soini said.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard has questioned the economic, employment and environmental benefits of the Energy East and he said that his province will not just be a passageway for the pipeline. Citing climate and other concerns, environmental groups oppose the building of the pipeline altogether.

Related
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
Belugas Slow Energy East Pipeline Project
The Energy East Pipedream
Environmental Action Opposing the Energy East Pipeline
Quebecers Protest Energy East Pipeline and Terminal
Environmental Leaders Comment on the Energy East Pipeline
Cities In Ontario and Quebec Opposing Energy East
Video - Stop the Energy East Pipeline
Ahead of Obama's Rejection TransCanada Fails to Suspend the KXL
Why the Keystone XL Pipedream Must Die
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill
The Politics of the Obama Administration's Keystone Delay

Ahead of Obama's Rejection TransCanada Fails to Suspend Ruling on KXL

November 04, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Shortly after President Obama announced that he would decide the fate of the Keystone XL before the end of his term, TransCanada pipelines submitted a request to suspend their application.

With good reason TransCanada believes that Obama will not rule in their favor. Now that the Iran crisis is behind him Obama will likely use the remainder of his term to focus on climate change.

Cancelling the KXL would make sense for a President who sees combating climate change as a legacy issue. He has already enacted a slate of actions including improved mileage mandates for American vehicles and the Clean Power Plan.

It would be very hard to marry climate action with the KXL that would ferry 830,000 barrels a day of some of the dirtiest energy on earth.

The KXL would carry tar sands, they are a major carbon bomb that could seriously undermine efforts to reign in emissions. As James Hansen has explained, exploiting the tar sands would mean "game over" for staving off climate change.

The case against the pipeline is also buoyed by massive ongoing protests. Nebraska farmers are fighting against the expropriation of their lands to build the pipeline and environmentally concerned people around the world have come out to say no to the KXL.

The President has previously questioned the economic benefits of the pipeline. Now these benefits are further compounded by low oil prices.

TransCanada is hoping that a Republican will win the federal election next year and approve the pipeline. All the Republican presidential candidates have shown unequivocal support for the KXL.

The Obama administration rejected TransCanada's request for suspension on November 4.

Related
Ahead of Obama's Rejection TransCanada Fails to Suspend the KXL
President Obama Vetoes KXL Legislation
Senate Passes KXL Bill
Why the Keystone XL Pipedream Must Die
Sanders Keystone XL Amendment
Video - Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL
Republicans trying to Force KXL on the White House
Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Bernie Sander's Keystone XL Amendment in the Senate

January 19, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has introduced an amendment to the Keystone XL bill that will force Republicans to put their climate ignorance on public display. Republicans are hell-bent on pushing through legislation in support of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline even if President Obama has vowed to veto it.

Here is Sander's succinct amendment:

It is the sense of Congress that Congress is in agreement with the opinion of virtually the entire worldwide scientific community that—

(1) climate change is real;

(2) climate change is caused by human activities;

(3) climate change has already caused devastating problems in the United States and around the world;

(4) a brief window of opportunity exists before the United States and the entire planet suffer irreparable harm; and

(5) it is imperative that the United States transform its energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy as rapidly as possible.

If Republicans pass the Keystone XL legislation with Sander's Rider, they are on record saying that their party's stance on climate change and the anti-environment position of many GOP supporters is a farce and a sham.

Sander's amendment is one of 20 that will be voted on this week. Even if they vote for the KXL legislation with the climate rider, it is destined to die as the Senate is currently about four votes shy of being able to override a Presidential veto.

No matter how you look at it, there are a host of good reasons why the KXL cannot be allowed to move forward.

Related
Video - Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL
Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Why the Keystone XL Pipedream Must Die Once and For All

January 13, 2015 Add Comment Edit

The Republican preoccupation with the passage of the Keystone XL pipeline is emboldened by the Nebraska Supreme Court even though four of seven judges ruled the approval process was unconstitutional. No matter what happens in Congress the President has vowed to veto the legislation. As explained by White House spokesman Josh Earnest, "If the bill passes this Congress, the President won't sign it." Today, Tuesday January 13, a number of environmental groups are taking it one step further by staging rallies across North America to demand that Obama reject the pipeline once and for all.

The Senate followed the House in passing legislation approving the KXL. Senators who support the KXL profit from the oil industry's generous gifts, but they do not have the two-thirds majority (67 votes) needed in the 100-seat Senate to override a presidential veto. As far as the Presidential veto is concerned, (and contrary to the misinformation from conservatives), Obama has only vetoed two bills in his first six years in office.

There are a number of good reasons why the KXL should not be built.

Republicans are exerting a lot of pressure for a project with little economic impact. According to a study from Cornell university, the KXL will offer between 2,500 and 4,600 for the building of the pipeline and as few as 35 long term jobs. The KXL will not reduce gas prices which are already lower than they have been for a very long time. The Cornell study suggests the pipeline would actually increase oil prices nationally by an additional $5 billion.

With the current price of oil below 47 dollars a barrel, the tar sands make no economic sense.

Safety is another major concern as pipelines inevitably leak. For years now fears about leaks have added to reservations about the KXL. TransCanada, the company responsible for building the KXL has a poor safety record. The Keystone 1 pipeline, which runs from Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma, had 14 leaks in its first two years of operation. TransCanada's poor safety record was revealed by a Canadian National Energy Board review in 2012. TransCanada failed in four of the nine safety areas reviewed: hazard identification; risk assessment and control; operational control; measurement and monitoring; and management review.

Not only is the safety record a real concern, there are serious health problems associated with the pipeline and the tar sands in general. Fossil fuel extraction poisons the air, ground and water and this is particularly true of tar sands oil. After decades of health complaints, a 2014 report by Alberta’s Energy Regulator (AER) formally linked emissions from tar sands oil production with serious health impacts in the Peace River region.

The most serious concern about the Keystone XL involves its climate change causing emissions profile. Fossil fuels are known to cause climate change and as such they are a clear and present danger. All fossil fuels contribute to global warming but the tar sands are some of the most carbon intensive energy on earth. The climate change causing impact of the tar sands has been found to be four times worse than originally thought. The KXL would increase tar sands oil extraction and according to James Hansen, expanding the exploitation of the tar sands represents "game over" for efforts to curtail climate change.

Investors see the writing on the wall, as most of the known oil reserves are unburnable and this will effectively strand assets. The day is coming when divesting from fossil fuels will be a fiduciary duty. Even oil companies are backing away from tar sands oil this includes Shell, Statoil and the French company Total.

While it has frequently been said that if the KXL does not get built the tar sands will find alternate routes. However, pipelines like the Northern Gateway and Energy East have also been stopped by protests and local governments.

The supreme court of Canada has also supported the rights of Canada's indigenous people which dis-empowers the fossil fuel industry.

A number of environmental groups are organizing to oppose Republican efforts to push the KXL forward.
What environmentally concerned people want the world to know is that the KXL is not only a political football, it is a pipeline that would deliver to market 800,000 barrels of some the most carbon rich oil on earth.

The NRDC is trying to "build a wall of opposition to KXL that is big enough to sustain a Presidential veto." Their efforts include, a "rapid-response truth squad" that will confront misinformation. They are also active in Washington -- making the case against the Keystone XL to lawmakers, thought leaders and key members of the Obama Administration. Finally they are mobilizing their supporters to show the new Congress that "the American people won’t stand by while they deepen our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and accelerate climate change."

The NRDC is far from the only environmental group focused on opposition to the KXL. On the evening of Tuesday January 13, rallies will be held coast-to-coast to tell the President that it's time to reject Keystone XL. This North America wide protest will include organizations like:

350.org
CREDO
Indigenous Environmental Network
MoveOn.org
Oil Change International
Rainforest Action Network
The Sierra Club

Protests have already produced substantial results. According to a 2014 report, delays to the KXL have already prevented at least $17 billion in new tar sands investments that would have produced carbon equivalent to 735 coal-fired power plants.

While a Presidential veto will prevent the Republican sponsored legislation from moving the KXL forward there are also legal avenues that could still be pursued.

The full Senate is expected to vote on the Keystone XL bill on Friday January 16 and it could be on Mr. Obama’s desk before the end of the month.

As chief executive, President Obama has a job to do. As explained by Naomi Klein, "It's about whether the US government will throw a lifeline to a climate-destabilizing industrial project that is under a confluence of pressures that add up to a very real crisis...."

If we are serious about curtailing climate change we must also be serious about stopping oil pipelines, particularly those that carry tar sands oil.

Related
Sanders Keystone XL Amendment
Video - Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL
Republicans trying to Force KXL on the White House
Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Video - Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL

January 10, 2015 Add Comment Edit

In this video Elizabeth Warren destroys the arguments in support of Keystone XL pipeline. Sen. Warren specifically dresses down Republicans who want to push through the pipeline. She explains that its benefits are for lobbyists and big business not the American people.

Related
Republicans trying to Force KXL on the White House
Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Republicans trying to Force KXL on the White House

January 06, 2015 Add Comment Edit

The 114th Republican led Congress begins today and you can be sure that moving forward with the Keystone XL pipeline will be at the top of their agenda.

However, the GOP is starting the year off on the defensive after it was discovered that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise attended a meeting of a white supremacists group founded by David Duke in 2002, Rep. Michael Grimm pleaded guilty to tax evasion and conservatives are trying to depose House Speaker John Boehner.

On Sunday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) confirmed that a KXL bill will be the first to reach Obama's desk in 2015.

It may not be as easy to advance the KXL as some had hoped. Republicans appear unlikely to secure enough Democrats to get the 60 Senate votes required to override Presidential veto.

Some Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are planning to introduce amendments to the Republican bill to keep the oil in the US rather than have it exported to other countries. Other Democratic amendments include a proposal that would require that the steel used in the pipeline is manufactured in teh US. Still others want to attach a rider that would provide investments in clean energy.

Even if we see such provisions, they are unlikely to garner the number of votes needed to override a veto.

Republicans are calling it a jobs bill, but the President has said the KXL will only provide a couple thousand jobs and he has previously made it clear that he will not support the KXL if it would be harmful to the environment.

Related
Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On

November 19, 2014 Add Comment Edit

On Tuesday November 18th, the US Senate narrowly rejected a bill (2280) to speed approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The motion needed 60 votes in favour to pass. The bill failed after 59 senators voted in favour and 41 were against. Predictably, all 45 Senate Republicans voted in favour of the legislation alongside 14 Democrats and Independents. The pipeline was approved last week for the ninth time by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

Republicans vow to reintroduce the measure in early next year when they take control of the Senate. While the Keystone may have been defeated, it will likely pass when the slate of pro-oil Republicans take office in the new year.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and the incoming majority leader, said within minutes of the vote, "I look forward to the new Republican majority taking up and passing the Keystone jobs bill early in the new year." Senator John Hoeven plans to reintroduce it in January or February.

This is not the first time a pro KXL bill died in the Senate. On May 12, 2014, a pro-KXL bill died in the Senate after Republican Senators blocked bi-partisan efforts to move forward the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill. According to Dirty Energy Money database, a total of 21 million dollars was given to Senators who cosponsored the bill.

Senators who support the Keystone receive disproportionate support from the dirty energy industry. Senators cosponsoring the pro-Keystone XL bill have received roughly 5 times more in oil industry cash than those who remained off the bill.

Related
Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Obama Standing Up to the GOP by Promising to Veto Keystone Legislation
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
The Politics of the Obama Administration's Keystone Delay
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Keystone XL Pipeline: Debunking Four Cardinal Lies
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
Video - Farcical Comedy on Keystone XL Jobs
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline

November 18, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Never let it be said that Republicans are not tenacious when it comes to their support for fossil fuels and knee-jerk opposition to President Obama. Republicans in Congress are trying yet again to force the President's hand on the Keystone XL pipeline. A motion was already passed in the House and another is expected today (November 18th) in the Senate.

The House of Representatives passed a measure Friday (November 14) that would force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline with a vote of 252 to 161. Nearly all Republicans voted for the bill, along with 31 Democrats. This is the ninth time the House has tried to push the President on the Keystone XL.

Their are now 59 votes in the Senate in support of the pipeline, one shy of the required 60 votes All 45 Republicans support the pipeline, so they need 15 Democrats.

At a press conference in Myanmar (aka Burma) the President issued his strongest KXL warning to date:

“Understand what this project is: it is providing the ability of Canada to pump their oil, send it through our land, down to the Gulf, where it will be sold everywhere else. It doesn’t have an impact on US gas prices. If my Republican friends really want to focus on what’s good for the American people in terms of job creation and lower energy costs, we should be engaging in a conversation about what are we doing to produce even more homegrown energy? I’m happy to have that conversation.”

The President has already promised he would veto any bill that does not follow the process currently in play. This involves another State Department review. "I’ve been clear in the past," said Obama. "My position hasn’t changed, that this is a process that is supposed to be followed."

If Senate Republicans are unable to secure the votes they need today, they will wait until January or February when there will be an influx of pro-oil GOP legislators who were elected in the November midterms. KXL supporters could introduce a standalone bill or attach Keystone to another bill.

Related
Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
Obama Standing Up to the GOP by Promising to Veto Keystone Legislation
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
The Politics of the Obama Administration's Keystone Delay
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Keystone XL Pipeline: Debunking Four Cardinal Lies
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
Video - Farcical Comedy on Keystone XL Jobs
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL

November 14, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Congress is trying to fast track the controversial Keystone XL project. A debate on the pipeline is scheduled to take place today (Friday, November 14) in both the US House and the Senate. Both houses of the Republican led Congress are expected to approve the bill.

While the President has indicated he will veto the bill, there are steps that could be taken by the GOP to override his decision.

Republicans do not seem to care about the consequences or the costs. NASA's top climate scientist, Jim Hansen, said that fully developing the tar sands in Canada (a necessary step in the development of the pipeline), would mean“essentially game over” for the climate. According to White House statistics, additional emissions from the tar sands pipelines could equal $128 billion in climate costs over the pipeline’s projected lifespan. By 2100 the costs of failing to reign in emissions from fossil fuels will surpass the costs of carbon reduction by $8 trillion.

Thus far a number of protests have succeeded in delaying the pipeline. Reports show that these delays have already prevented at least $17bn in new investments in the Canadian tar sands. These investments would have had the equivalent carbon output of 735 coal-fired power plants.

Related
Obama Standing Up to the GOP by Promising to Veto Keystone Legislation
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
The Politics of the Obama Administration's Keystone Delay
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Video - Two Million Comments Rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Keystone XL Pipeline: Debunking Four Cardinal Lies
Ten Reasons Why Nurses Oppose the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
Video - Farcical Comedy on Keystone XL Jobs
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Obama Standing Up to the GOP by Promising to Veto Keystone XL Legislation

November 13, 2014 Add Comment Edit

President Obama said that he will veto the GOPs efforts to push through the Keystone XL. He sees that the GOP is gunning for him and his climate agenda. Rather than backing down he is standing up to Big Oil and their Republican minions.

By standing up to Republican threats Obama is showing that he is a man of integrity and a true champion of the environment. The move is consistent with the President's promise that he will only allow the pipeline to be built if it, "doesn’t increase climate change."

The Keystone XL is among a list of targets that the GOP have identified as low hanging fruit. The fact that Obama has indicated that he will veto any Congressional legislation forcing approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is a bold move.

The President's position is particularly noteworthy in light of the fact that even before the midterms, there were 57 Senators that supported the Keystone XL all of whom remain in the Senate.

In the new year there will an influx of Republicans that are even more strident supporters of fossil fuels including the notorious tar sands pipeline. This will mean that there will be a filibuster-proof 60 Keystone supporters.

Besides court action, only a Presidential veto can keep the pipeline from being built.

In response 350.org Executive Director May Boeve issued the following statement:

"It’s good to see the White House drawing a line in the sand on Keystone, and standing up for our climate. President Obama is right to veto politically-driven legislation that undermines the State Department’s independent review process, and increases our reliance on fossil fuels. We’ll continue to support President Obama to stand up to Big Oil and reject Keystone XL once and for all."

Related
Reasons Why the Keystone XL is a Pipedream
Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
The Politics of the Obama Administration's Keystone Delay
Buying Support for the Keystone XL
A Brief Review of the Keystone XL Saga
The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
Refuting the Rationale for Approving the Keystone XL
Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
Video - Two Million Comments Rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline
Video - Obama's Top Aids and Democratic Donors Oppose the Keystone XL
Keystone XL will Fly or Fail Depending on Who you Talk to
The Keystone XL Pipeline: Debunking Four Cardinal Lies
Moving Bitumen by Rail Rather than Pipe will Lessen Tar Sands Expansion
Ten Reasons Why Nurses Oppose the Keystone XL
Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
Video - A New Approach to Protest Against the KXL
Video - Farcical Comedy on Keystone XL Jobs
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill

Video - Stop the Energy East Pipeline

November 08, 2014 Add Comment Edit

TransCanada is moving forward with the Energy East pipeline, one of the largest pipeline projects ever conceived. In addition to causing massive amounts of greenhouse gases, the plan imperils Canadian waterways. Find out more by clicking the links below.

Related
The Energy East Pipedream
Environmental Action Opposing the Energy East Pipeline
Quebecers Protest Energy East Pipeline and Terminal
Halloween Campaign Opposing the Energy East Pipeline
Environmental Leaders Comment on the Energy East Pipeline
Cities In Ontario and Quebec Opposing Energy East

Environmental Leaders Comment on the Energy East Pipeline

November 07, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Environmental organizations in Canada and the United States, First Nations and community organizers are resolute in their opposition to TransCanada's Energy East pipeline. Here are some of the comments made by their leaders.

"It's not going to happen, Energy East would negate all the good work on climate that has been done at the provincial level, pose a major threat to millions of people's drinking water and disrespect Canadians in Eastern Canada, who care as much as any other Canadian about oil spills contaminating their homes, waterways and livelihoods."

- Patrick Bonin of Greenpeace Canada.

"TransCanada entered my territory, Kanehsatàke, like a slick snake oil salesman with promises of jobs and economic benefits. The company's unscrupulous manner to impress upon our community that Energy East is a 'done deal' is unethical and coercive. In the absence of our free prior and informed consent, it would be illegal for the National Energy Board to grant TransCanada an application for Energy East,"

- Ellen Gabriel of Kanehsatàke, a Mohawk community in Quebec.

"At a time when we're already seeing impacts of climate change in Canada, it's ludicrous the federal government thinks it can review Energy East with no consideration of how this project will impact the climate,"

- Cameron Fenton of 350.org.

"There is no way Quebecers are going to allow what Canadians in the west and Americans to the south don't want, and that is unacceptable water and climate risks from an export pipeline that benefits the bottom line of one pipeline company,"

- Steven Guilbeault of Equiterre.

"We believe the proposal should be rejected. From what we've been hearing from people, water ranks very high, if not at the top of the list of concerns regarding the risks of this particular pipeline."

- Andrea Harden-Donahue, a contributing author to a recent Council of Canadians report on the pipeline titled "Energy East: Where Oil Meets Water."

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Cities In Ontario and Quebec Opposing Energy East

November 07, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Municipalities situated near the proposed corridor are opposing the Energy East Pipeline. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his minions at the National Energy Board (NEB) have been doing everything they can to fast track tar sands development. This includes preventing communities from contributing to the review.

The only exception is the Northern Ontario town of Mattawa which signed what amounts to a gag order in 2012. TransCanada Corp, the builders of the Energy East pipeline, gave the town of Mattawa a $30,000 rescue vehicle on the condition that they take a vow of silence.

One of the clauses in the agreement reads as follows:

“The Town of Mattawa will not publicly comment on TransCanada’s operations or business projects.”

Other cities are not so easily bribed. Municipalities, like Kenora, North Bay, Thunder Bay, Saint-Sulpice, L'Assomption, Tadoussac and some other mayors of towns in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec are all opposing the pipeline.

"The Energy East pipeline would be a direct threat to Kenora's water supply and, as North America's premier boating destination, that's a major problem," said Teika Newton, a Kenora community organizer, adding the pipeline would jeopardize the half a billion dollar regional tourism industry in Northwestern Ontario.

Voters in Kenora, North Bay and Thunder Bay elected city councils with strong mandates to oppose Energy East. Thunder Bay re-elected Mayor Keith Hobbs who is a vocal opponent of the pipeline. In Ottawa, a majority on city council have expressed concerns about Energy East alongside more than 50,000 Canadians who have signed petitions opposing the pipeline.

A recent report by the Goodman Group showed Quebec would receive almost no economic value from the project. The absence of economic benefit and concerns associated with environmental impacts have spurred resolutions against the pipeline.Including Quebec, at least a dozen municipal resolutions have been filed against the pipeline.

“Water is our life. And I have serious concerns about what this project will mean for our local economy,” said Hugues Tremblay, mayor of Tadoussac, a village that is a whale watching Mecca. “Those accidents in the Gulf of Mexico and with Japan’s nuclear reactors weren’t supposed to happen but they did. We’re not insulated from a mishap either.”

Some of the opposition in Quebec suggests some of the tension that divides the two solitudes. “We’re on our knees for what probably amounts to about 20 or so jobs,” said Sylvain Tremblay, the mayor of Saint-Siméon who also represents the larger regional county municipality of Charlevoix Est. “We’re being asked to pay the price so people somewhere in the rest of Canada might make more money.”

Fifty thousand people in Quebec municipalities and elsewhere in the province, have signed petitions asking the federal government to forbid TransCanada from drilling in endangered beluga habitat.

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Environmental Action Opposing the Energy East Pipeline

November 07, 2014 Add Comment Edit

People from across the continent were already actively engaged in protest even before the application for the Energy East pipeline was submitted by TransCanada on October 30th. According to the National Energy Board's (NEB) rules there will be a 15 month period for review.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has excluded climate science and communities from contributing to the pipeline review process in an effort to fast track tar sands development. However, this has only emboldened opposition to the pipeline. When the NEB announced that it will not consider the climate impacts or community voices in its assessment more than 50,000 people sent letters of protest.

Environmental groups opposing the Energy East include Greenpeace Canada, Equiterre, Environmental Defence, Ecology Ottawa, Council of Canadians, NRDC, New Brunswick Conservation Council, AQLPA, 350 Maine, Nature Quebec, Ecology Action Centre and the Coule pas chez nous!, as well as land and homeowners living near the proposed route and concerned municipalities, like North Bay, Saint-Sulpice and L'Assomption.

Greenpeace has launched a petition calling for a review and Environmental Defense has launched a campaign called Our Risk Their Reward. The biggest protest in Quebec against the Energy East pipeline took place on October 11.

The organization 350.org is behind a number of actions including a Halloween protest. They have also organized what they are calling "The People's Intervention Campaign." The plan is to deliver tens of thousands of messages to the National Energy Board (NEB) calling for a climate review of Energy East. Over 50,000 Canadians from across the country have already added their message. Another nationwide action from 350.org involves the creation of the Energy East Action Network which provides kits to help community organizers plan and launch actions to stop the pipeline. This network will stage nationwide actions at key moments.

An action that includes protest against Energy East is planed for today (November 7th). Students from across the country are coming together in Montreal for the first Student Divestment Convergence in Canada. It kicks off on Friday, November 7th, at 7:00 PM at the Hall Building of Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd, room H110.

The event will include discussions, stories, and plans for action to stop pipeline and tar sands expansion in Quebec and beyond. Featured voices from across the climate justice movement in Canada & Quebec, include:

- Crystal Lameman. A member of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Crystal focuses her work on fighting to oppose the tar sands, whilst addressing the environmental racism the Government of Canada imposes on First Nations people in the name of resource extraction.

- Denise Jourdain. Denise is a member of the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-utenam, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. She is actively working to oppose the Plan Nord forestry and mining industry in Northern Quebec.

- Alyssa Symons-Belanger. An anti-pipeline activist and organizer in Quebec, Alyssa has played a key role in organizing the Marche des Peuples pour la Terre Mere & the recent Line 9 Action Camp.

- Heather Milton-Lightening. Heather is an Indigenous organizer with 17 years of experience in organizing local and international campaigns, including dozens of campaigns and actions to stop tar sands expansion.

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The Energy East Pipedream

November 07, 2014 Add Comment Edit

If it is built the Energy East pipeline would be the largest fossil fuel pipeline in North America. This monster pipeline would snake 4,000 km from terminals at Hardisty, Alta. and Moosomin, Sask. to refineries in Montreal, the Quebec City region and Saint John, N.B. In addition to posing local risks to drinking water, ecosystems and toursim Energy East would spur further tar sands development and lead to a major increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Energy East pipeline would cross six Canadian provinces from Alberta to New Brunswick transporting 30 per cent more oil than Keystone XL and twice the amount of the Northern Gateway. Energy East would move 1.1 million barrels of tar sands (cut with toxic natural gas condensate) each day and produce up to 32 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. This is more emissions than produced by any Atlantic province. It is comparable to adding 7 million new cars to Canadian roads each year.

According to a review from the Pembina Institute the Energy East pipeline would significantly increase Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it difficult to meet our national climate targets. Environmental groups, scientists, economists and citizens have repeatedly said that we simply cannot afford to ramp up tar sands development and combat climate change.

The proposed Energy East pipeline would convert 3,000 km of 55 year old natural gas pipeline to transport crude oil, and build over 1,400 km of new pipeline. TransCanada filed its official application with the National Energy Board on October 30th.

The Energy East pipeline will cross at least 90 watersheds and 961 waterways. This includes the Rideau River, the Ottawa River, the St Lawrence River and the Bay of Fundy and Shoal Lake, which supplies water to Winnipeg. The pipeline jeopardizes the drinking water of millions of people

According to the Council of Canadians, the Energy East pipeline poses too much risk to waterways to be approved. There is no way to make a pipeline that is spill-proof. Even in the pipeline capitol of Canada, oil spills are common, in fact they are statistically inevitable.

A disastrous pipeline spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2010, spilled more than 3.8 million litres of diluted oil-sands bitumen, contaminating a 48-km stretch of the Kalamazoo River which is still contaminated, even after “clean-up” of the spill.

Concerns about a pipeline spill are compounded by the fact that the waterways it would traverse are covered by ice for almost half of the year making any clean-up effort that much more difficult.

In addition to threatening drinking water, a spill could do irreversible damage to sensitive aquatic ecosystems. The proposed pipeline would follow the shores of the St. Lawrence River, a critical habitat for 13 species of whales including, sperm whales, Blue Whales, Fins, Greys, threatened Belugas, and others. Beluga whales in particular have become a key symbol for those opposing the pipeline.

The pipeline would link to a newly planned marine export terminal and storage facility at the port of Gros-Cacouna near Rivière-du-Loup Quebec. The site is just across the river from the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, a national marine conservation area known for its colony of beluga whales.

Ecologists warn TransCanada’s work disturbs the habitat and calving locations of belugas. There are now less than 900 Belugas in the St-Lawrence representing a 12 percent decline in the last decade.

Tourism, and the big business of whale watching in particular, would also be hit hard by a spill. Even one small spill from the pipeline or one of the tanker ships slated to carry the crude for export could be catastrophic to tourism not to mention fish and wildlife habitats.

Energy East would also threaten the Baie de l’Isle-Verte wetlands and their teeming waterfowl populations. Other sensitive ecosystems that would be threatened include the Kennebecasis river system in New Brunswick, (its tidal and its freshwater marsh is one of the largest and most diverse of its kind) and the Musquash Tidal Wetland, also in New Brunswick. The terminus in Saint John would see hundreds of massive tankers laden with tar sands crude that would threaten the rich fishing grounds of the Bay of Fundy.

A host of other important rivers and streams would be threatened by the building of the new section of the proposed pipeline. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is no longer responsible for protecting our fisheries from pipeline projects. According to a memorandum of understanding signed on December 16, 2013 the fox is now guarding the henhouse. The National Energy Board (NEB) is now responsible for assessing the potential impacts to fisheries from pipelines. The NEB said that it will not consider the climate impacts of the pipeline in its assessment.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been doing everything he can to fast track tar sands development. He has ignored climate science in the pipeline review process and he has prevented communities for formally commenting.

Harper can be expected to ignore protestors but he cannot ignore Quebec's National Assembly. On November 6th, the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously demanded a full review of Energy East, including its climate impacts. In 2013, the government of BC stood up and opposed the Northern Gateway project.

Harper hopes that he can increase current tar sands oil capacity from its current levels of just under 2 million barrels a day to 6 million barrels a day within the next decade. However, if we factor a science based approach to assess the climate impacts of the Energy East the project is dead in the water.

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Halloween Campaign Opposing the Energy East Pipeline

October 31, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The Energy East pipeline is a climate nightmare. A Halloween campaign from 350.org is protesting the pipeline project. As they explain, "climate change is scary -- and so is the largest tar sands pipeline ever proposed. What's even scarier is that this monster of a tar sands pipeline, TransCanada's Energy East project, wont receive a climate review."

If it is allowed to go forward, it will have a climate impact equivalent to over 7 million cars. That is why 350.org is shining a light on the Energy East climate nightmare this Halloween.

This Halloween, 350.org is encouraging people to carve "#NoEnergyEast Jack-O-Lanterns." They suggest that people deliver these pumpkins to their local elected offical's office or home.

They also suggest that people take pictures and post them on their social media portals and send them to news outlets. The goal is to build a national narrative showing that the Energy East pipeline is a climate nightmare.

Click here to sign up to lead an action! After signing up you will have access to printable Jack-O-Lantern templates and a full action kit.

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Quebecers Protest Energy East Pipeline and Terminal

October 14, 2014 Add Comment Edit

On October 11, People came together to protest against TransCanada's proposed Energy East pipeline and the international oil port that they want to build in Cacouna, near Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. This was the largest protest ever staged in Cacouna. There were more than 2000 people present for the protest which is more than the entire population of the small village.

If it is built, the Energy East pipeline would carry 1.1 million barrels of tar sands crude each day from Alberta to terminals in Quebec and the Maritimes. TransCanada has recently been granted permission to resume preparatory work on the port after a court-ordered suspension.

Ecologists warn TransCanada’s work disturbs the habitat and calving period of belugas, whose numbers have dropped by 12 percent in the last decade and they now number fewer than 900 in the St-Lawrence.

The protest is in addition to the 30,000 people who have signed an online petition calling for a permanent ban on "all work in critical habitat for beluga." The Council of Canadians has called on the Harper government to respect the Species at Risk Act and declare the St. Lawrence Estuary a protected zone.

On Thursday (October 9) the federal NDP - which holds 56 of the 75 federal ridings in Quebec - introduced a motion that states, "the proposed Port of Gros-Cacouna oil terminal, which will be used for the sole purpose of exporting unprocessed Canadian oil, will have a negative impact on the Canadian economy through the loss of well-paid jobs, will constitute an unacceptable environmental threat to the St. Lawrence ecosystem, including the beluga whale population, and therefore, is not consistent with the principle of sustainable development, and must be rejected."

The day before the protest (October 10), the environment ministry issued a warning to TransCanada for making too much noise and using too many boats to transport workers.

Although the project could be worth up to 6 billion for the province, many believe the terminal and pipeline are not worth the environmental damage they will cause.

The protest was held four days before the expiry of a Quebec Superior Court injunction on TransCanada’s exploratory drilling in Cacouna.

On Thursday (October 16) a temporary injunction against TransCanada drilling in the St. Lawrence River is set to expire. TransCanada has indicated it will resume exploratory work for the terminal at that time. The following Monday (October 20) the House of Commons is expected to vote on the NDP motion against the terminal. On October 30th, TransCanada filed its application for the pipeline with the National Energy Board.

From October 26 to November 6, the Council of Canadians and local partners will visit communities in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to talk about why TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline is all risk and little reward for Atlantic Canada. Our tour will include public forums in Halifax (October 26), Cornwallis (October 27), Saint John (October 29), Fredericton (November 4), and Edmunston (November 6).

For more on the Council of Canadians campaign against the Energy East pipeline, please click here.

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