There is no middle way, Prime Minister – this Tar Sands gunk has to go by train or truck through Alberta to Houston because it isn’t coming though BC or through her waters.
Rafe Mair served as a Cabinet Minister in Bill Bennett's SoCred government; his various portfolios included Environment, Health and Education. Incidentally, I think Mair's playing of the NEP card (National Energy Plan) is quite astute. Ottawa is in effect NEPing British Columbia for the sake of Alberta and saying its in the national interest.
17 comments:
"because it isn’t coming though BC or through her waters."
Hate to break it to you Rafe but bitumen ALREADY travels through BC's land and over her waters through an existing pipeline that's been around for decades.
Why does everyone forget that there are already hundreds of kms of pipelines (bitumen, natural gas, etc) cris-crossing the country without environment destroying problems? Do you advocate tearing the already laid ones out?
Enjoy the stone ages. The rest of us will live in modern world thank you.
shorter frunger....here let me help you move those goal posts.
Alberta crude has flowed via the Trans Mountain pipeline, from Edmonton area to Burnaby BC since 1966.
It is shipped by tanker up the BC coastline, 4 times per month.
Kinder Morgan owns the land along that pipeline, and is expanding it to accommodate another 400,000 bp/day of Alberta black gold, with no need for negotiation with Rafe Mair.
Other than the Straits of Georgia, Canada (fed jurisdiction) has water and seabed rights up the BC coast, Supreme Court of Canada decision 1969 (?).
There is NO moritorium of tanker traffic, only a BC legislative motion, and that's lip service, because BC waterway is Federal jurisdiction.
In 2005 (?) the BC govt brought in a 'national interest' law, where private interests can not over rule a project that is in the prov/country best interest.
it's always good to have some facts, eh
"It is shipped by tanker up the BC coastline, 4 times per month."
No it isn't. The tankers exit straight out the Juan de Fuca.
"Kinder Morgan owns the land along that pipeline, and is expanding it to accommodate another 400,000 bp/day of Alberta black gold, with no need for negotiation with Rafe Mair."
No Kinder Morgan neither owns the land nor have they even made an application for the expansion.
"
it's always good to have some facts, eh"
Indeed.
Wilon's fantasy that the feds' legal authority to shove the pipeline through will trump the political reality is just that - a fantasy.
Mair's sentiments are not uncommon here on the coast, while Wilson typifies eastern supporters - she couldn't find Kitimat on a map a couple of months ago and she hasn't even had time to get the talking points she's been handed right. To those like her its just another political game, while to those of us that live here its very real and deadly serious.
Her "fuck-British-Columbians-the-feds-have-the-authority-to-shove-it-through" attitude isn't going to help her cause.
If Harper wants to push it that far, the reaction will make Clayoquot look like a sunday picnic.
Lenny, Kinder Morgn filed service application with the NEB in Nov 2011.
http://www.kindermorgan.com/investor/presentations/2011_Analysts_Conf_05_KM_Canada.pdf
Lenny,
Unless this law has been repealed, the pipeline will have to jump NEB hurdles, but will eventually go through:
2003
''..The BC Liberal government passes the Significant Project Streamlining Act that provides thB.C. Cabinet and individual ministers extraordinary powers to overrule provincial or logovernment laws, regulations or bylaws if they are perceived as being constraints to development projects that the government designates as provincially significant.''
Here is a very detailed history of oil/oilsands develpment, written by an enviro activist;
you can see there is NO moritorium on tanker shipments, and fed rights to water and seabed (sans Georgia Straits):
http://bcwaters.org/Appendix%20A%20-%20%20OIL%20PIPELINE%20TIMELINE.pdf
Lenny, what do you think of the idea of Northern Gateway going to Prince Rupert? It's more or less right on the ocean except for islands, while Kitimat involves tricky passages, especially since they plan Very Large Crude Carriers, and probably driven by a newly available Captain Schettino.
I believe much of the opposition is due to the terminus in Kitimat instead of on the ocean. Am I correct?
"Kinder Morgn filed service application with the NEB in Nov 2011."
Which has nothing to do with twinning the pipeline.
Always good to have some facts, eh?
"Unless this law has been repealed, the pipeline will have to jump NEB hurdles, but will eventually go through:"
Good luck convincing British Columbians to roll over because the law allows it to be shoved down our throats. Never mind the fact that it's far from given that the courts are going to accept the feds right to shove it down the throats of first nations.
Moving the terminal to Rupert might reduce the risks somewhat, but I doubt it would be enough to have much effect on public opinion. There's no avoiding the Hecate, and sheer volume of traffic guarantees that there will be spills. And, of course it would do nothing to mitigate risk on land. I'd imagine it might also put the Skeena at greater risk.
Lenny, Kinder Morgan owns the right-of-ways the existing TMX is on, and does not have to ask Rafe for permission to expand.
If KM didn't amke application, why is the NEB and CEAA reviewing the proposal to twin the pipeline?
''..Federal Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver
announced in November that the National Energy Board
and Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will
conduct a Joint Review panel regarding Kinder Morgan’s
proposal to twin its Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX) from
Alberta to Burnaby...''
http://www.islandtides.com/assets/reprint/oil_20111215.pdf
Funny how an Alberta separatist thinks it's ok for the feds to run roughshod over BC.
It'll be even funnier when she tells us "that's different"...
Along those same lines, Ezra the Que. separatist telling folks who is and isn't Canadian strikes me as a bit rich as well.
You're in over your head, trying to defend something you've only just learned about, with crap from dubious sources, Shillson.
Your own link doesn't say that Oliver claims the NEB is reviewing an application - it says that it will review an application.
Jan 10, 2012
The company will decide later this year if it will make an application for the project with the goal of completion in 2016.
http://www.bcafn.ca/files/breaking-news-2012-01-11.php
"Kinder Morgan owns the right-of-ways "
You claimed that Kinder Morgan owned the land. Do you not know what a right-of-way is?
Your claim that Kinder Morgan "owns the land" was wrong.
Your claim that Kinder Morgan was expanding to 400,000 barrels was wrong.
Your claim that Kinder Morgan had applied to expand to 400,000 barrels (which contradicted the previous false claim) was wrong.
Your claim that the NEB is reviewing their application was wrong.
Your claim that tankers "go up the BC coastine" was wrong.
It's always good to have some facts, eh?
Lenny wins by a landslide!
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