"Canada gets pollution, US gets oil and jobs":
Critical questions need to be answered on Keystone, energy union tells NEB
EDMONTON, AB, May 16 /CNW Telbec/ - The entire oil and gas industry is
being restructured with the construction of the Keystone pipeline, and neither
the National Energy Board, nor the provincial or federal governments
understand the implications for oil and gas supply, jobs, the environment and
more.
That statement from Canada's largest union of energy workers today as it
joins with the Alberta Federation of Labour, the Parkland Institute and Dr.
Gordon Laxer to file a motion with the National Energy Board to delay
construction of the pipeline so that several important questions raised in
response to CEP's evidence can be researched and answered.
"There's clearly something wrong with this picture," says Communications,
Energy and Paperworkers Union President Dave Coles. "We're shipping our
natural resources down to the U.S. so they can create upgraded oil products.
Meanwhile, we're missing out on the creation of 18,000 good Canadian jobs, and
putting our gas supply at risk in the process!"
"In other words, Canada gets the pollution, and the U.S gets the oil and
jobs."
A study conducted by an independent research firm, Informetrica, shows
that as many 18,000 jobs are being sacrificed because the proposed Keystone
Pipeline will be used to export unprocessed bitumen -- rather than upgraded
oil products -- to U.S. refineries.
When the huge new Alberta Oil Sands expansion projects are up and
running, millions of barrels per day of diluted but unprocessed bitumen may be
pumped south to U.S. upgraders, refineries and chemical producers. This new
source of oil will create thousands of jobs in the U.S., as refineries are
expanded to deal with this new source of product. As well, several billions of
dollars in building and upgrading facilities to handle the bitumen will be
spent in the U.S. instead of Canada.
CEP's evidence has been largely ignored by the NEB, though it has
recently requested further information on the union's research, as has the oil
lobby itself.
The intervention is part of CEP's on-going fight to force the NEB to
recognize value-added jobs, the environment and social issues in determining
the public interest when it comes to the development of the Alberta Oil Sands.
"Hundreds of workers in refineries and petrochemical plants have already
lost their jobs because the priority of the National Energy Board has too
often been fixed on serving the needs of USA rather than Canadian consumers,"
concludes Mr. Coles. "We need to take a cold hard look at what that means for
Canadians and the NEB has to start acting in the interest of its citizens."
The 150,000-member CEP represents over 35,000 workers in the oil, gas and
chemical industry in Ontario, Alberta and several other provinces.
The motion filed today and supporting material can be viewed at:
http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/fetch.asp?language=E&ID=A15530
