Climate Change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon. 40% of Canada’s emissions already come from Alberta alone, not counting the entire tar sands infrastructure across North America nor counting the projected increase in tar sands production or the infrastructure built across the continent to accommodate such increases in production. Factor it all in and you get the picture. You haven’t even burned the petrol yet.
This is the crux of the matter: water.
Now that the government has officially decided that the needs of feeding climate change are more important that even emergencies such as drought relief, the time to allow these people to make decisions regarding the tarsands has gone beyond past due.
These plans are happening in the wake of the document-- only leaked, not for the public-- calling on the Federal government of Canada to quintuple tarsands development. Allowing the continuation of the tarsands process means allowing this infrastructure construction, as well. After all, if the water and the land is destroyed to feed a market, the oil must get to that market. Stopping these pipelines is part of stopping the tarsands.
A moratorium is not enough.
Enbridge Plans Expansion of Pipelines
http://www.dogwoodinitiative.org/newsstories/enbridgeplansexpansion
Feb 06, 2007
Scouring Scum and Tar from the Bottom of the Pit
Petr Cizek
Canadian Dimension Magazine, July/August 2006 Issue
http://canadiandimension.com/articles/2006/07/07/557/
N.W.T. natural gas destined for Alberta's oilsands, groups charge
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 | 11:01 AM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/02/27/jrp-edmonton.html
CBC News
A coalition of national environmental groups is concerned that natural gas from the Northwest Territories will be used to fuel oilsands extraction in northern Alberta.
Committee report urges end to oilsands tax break
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/187693
Mar 02, 2007 05:35 PM
Dennis Bueckert
Canadian press
OTTAWA – The federal government should cancel its generous tax treatment of the Alberta oilsands industry, putting it on the same footing as the rest of the energy sector, says a draft report by a House of Commons committee.
The tax break, estimated to be worth $1.4 billion annually, has been a point of growing controversy as oilsands operators reap record revenues.
December 22, 2006
Okalik: Devolution must include internal waters
“It is, frankly, an area where, for the moment, we agree to disagree.”
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/61222_05.html
JIM BELL
Ottawa-Nunavut devolution talks hit a snag last week when Nunavut
Premier Paul Okalik and Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice came out
with opposing views on jurisdiction over the vast oil and gas reserves
lying within Nunavut’s internal waters.
Prentice said last week in an interview broadcast on CPAC, the Canadian
Introductory minirant:
While absolutely correct to be calling the federal government on the final destination of the gas for the MGP, it is problematic to call for the greening of the Mackenzie
Gas Project. The fact is that the MGP is not one pipeline, and the tar sands in Alberta are a possible destination. The tarsands cannot move forward without the MGP-- and seeing the pipeline as a critical component means realising we need to stop the construction of the pipeline period-- regardless of any location being pre-determined for this amount of energy.
