A ONE PIPELINE PLAN…

A one Pipeline Plan…

 

Build  ONE ‘combined’ Enbridge /Kinder Morgan  dilbit pipeline from Alberta to a shipping terminal near Port Simpson ,BC .This   would send tankers into wide open Pacific waters …NOT through the busy BURRARD INLET,THE SALISH SEA,  DOUGLAS CHANNEL and the Great Bear Rainforest region…waters .. More importantly ,also, this pipeline plan would not adversely affect our environmentally-related ,mulita-billion dollar,established,, business and tax generating enterprises…

 

I see that Canadian tax payers must ‘cough-up’  1.5 billion dollars for clean-up infrastructure  along our coast .This is long over-due…and required to  ‘fix ‘  consequences of damaged MARINE VESSELS ..…such as experienced at  Bella Bella .

 

A smart politician could benefit .politically, from this ‘one larger pipeline’ plan…Certainly Premier Notley…Even   Prime Minister Trudeau could benefit , as the BC public might finally see a pipeline  decision , for which local communities might ‘grant permission’  !

The Canadian economy desperately requires the export revenue….so let’s get on with it  !

 

 

BETTER LATE,THAN NEVER

Stephen Harper,promised to use science to help make the pipeline decision…We saw  only one ULTIMATE decision…..when the angry public  ‘tossed Mr. Harper !  The wary Justin Trudeau too, repeatedly promised to listen and use science to help make decisions…. .Instead  PM Trudeau  made ‘knee jerk’ announcements  favouring  the Kinder Morgan twinning project…and then effectively killed the Enbridge Northern Gateway proposal when he made the  ’out of the blue’ decision to ban oil tankers from northern BC waters…WITHOUT showing the supporting science.

The media tells us  that PM Trudeau is not so certain about those premature decisions ….BETTER LATE, THAN NEVER…! Alberta swims in oil,NL economy struggles,Canada’s oil sits while  foreign oil supplies  Canada’s Eastern refineries..

Those returnees from the Paris Climate gabfest…have forgotten about REALITY…common sense decisions are needed……Canadians are concerned and promising   alternative energy solutions are underway…but for now the world cannot turn off the oil valves..and we must be realistic…Build common sense pipelines in locations that the public will agree to…but provide them with the science to show  the ‘better’ alternative…

Build ONE pipeline to the East and one to the West…AND GET ON WITH IT..!

…IT’S ABOUT THE ECONOMY…. !

Enbridge and Kinder Morgan ,by now, must know that … SMARTER ,’ sincere’, early  PUBLIC CONSULTATION and NEGOTIATIONS  with the many who OBVIOUSLY  would be concerned, may have seen pipelines much closer to the  construction phase  by now…and, could have shown a better economic outlook for Alberta—and Canada.

BUT, when the  pipeliners, and government , decide to disregard BC public concerns,outright, we will resist. Now we will   call on the ’ new bunch’ in Ottawa to ‘ counsel’ the oil patch to hear the public and not ignore/scoff  at  their concerns… Build pipelines that  offer,statistically,  minimum threat to our lands and waters. Douglas Channel,Burrard Inlet and the Salish Sea  support   some of our most important ,multi-billion dollar economic and environmental related  businesses… !

BC knows about export and import infrastructure and deals with problems frequently…….and does not welcome  these,unnecessarily risky  , pipe line ‘schemes’ !

COST OF DITHERING !

A Federally legislated ,rail industry, INSURANCE plan is proposed  …. a ‘response’ to the  Lac Mégantic rail tragedy..

While governments and rail  industry chose to dither …many claimed that  transport of oil products (in older rail tankers)  is a risky plan.Railways jumped at the opportunity to increase revenue by transport of oil in existing rail cars –.

Insurance is one welcome component…but we need to see  parallel , employee training material ,and design standards for rails and tankers !?

Sadly,insurance cannot  ‘pay ‘for the Lac Megantic disaster—better  to PREVENT oil related  incidents ,where there are obvious public safety  issues !

Two BC issues ; 

1.Create  a similar insurance plan (and equipment upgrading and employee training plans) for all ‘oil transport’ facilities—including railways,PIPELINES and TANKERS ,traversing our lands and waters .

2.’Adjust’ existing ,ill-conceived,BC pipeline proposals—to reduce the probability of an Exxon Valdes incident-–because we dithered  ! 

That inevitable bitumen tanker spill ,suggests we should should not UNNECESSARILY INCREASE bitumen tanker traffic in our busy waters when there is a simple alternative pipelines plan !

Let the leaders LEAD or do they prefer  to tally the cost of dithering ?!