Oil pipeline construction in rural Alberta LANGLEY, B.C. – Langley council is mulling over whether to directly take part in regulatory hearings into the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion that has drawn considerable opposition. Council will debate a motion on Monday to seek intervenor status into the upcoming hearings by
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The Common Sense Canadian: Shale gas expert drills 50,000 holes in BC LNG plans
Fracking operations in BC’s Horn River Basin (Two Island Films) A new report from geoscientist and shale gas expert David Hughes offers a big reality check for BC’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. As a former 32-year veteran of the Geological Survey of Canada, Hughes led a national review of the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Legal errors could send Enbridge review back to drawing board
The 3-member Joint Review Panel for the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline Not even a month has pass since the federally-appointed Joint Review Panel (JRP) released its official report recommending approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline, pending the fulfillment of 209 conditions. Yet already two separate suits have been filed against
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fisheries Critic questions habitat protection handover for pipelines
An oil pipeline crossing the Tanana River in Alaska The federal NDP’s BC-based deputy fisheries critic is questioning a quiet deal signed just before Christmas that saw the Department of Fisheries and Oceans hand over the protection of fish habitat and species at risk along energy pipelines to the National
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Oil lobby tries to tar Neil Young
CALGARY – The president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says rock legend Neil Young’s anti-oilsands statements are irresponsible and do a disservice to the aboriginals he’s trying to help. Dave Collyer made his remarks ahead of Young’s fundraising concert in Winnipeg. The Friday concert will be the second
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Neil Young amps up national oil sands debate
Neil Young at a benefit concert in Toronto on Sunday (Mark Blinch/AP) When Neil Young first wandered into Canadian energy politics last year, comparing Fort McMurray to Hiroshima following a trip to the northern industry town in his biomass-powered car, it provoked a handful of rebuttals from conservative columnists. But the legendary
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New federal study: Oilsands bitumen sinks in water
2011 Rainbow Pipeline diluted bitumen leak in Alberta (Rogu Collecti/Greenpeace) VANCOUVER – A new federal government study has concluded that diluted bitumen — the product that would be transported by the Northern Gateway pipeline — sinks in seawater when battered by waves and mixed with sediments. However, when free of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New study shows Canadian industrialization in graphic detail
A visualization of industrial impacts across Canada as of 2010 (Global Forest Watch) A national study suggests that Alberta has disturbed more natural landscape than any other province. The analysis by Global Forest Watch adds that Wild Rose Country also has two of the three areas in Canada where the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Associated Press investigation confirms fracking water issues in 4 states
Well water from Dimock, PA – like this jug taken in 2012 – prompted a controversial EPA study (EcoWatch.com) Read this Jan. 5 story from AP and USA Today, which dug into hundreds of complaints of fracking water contamination throughout the United States – ultimately confirming issues in four different
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Researchers tackle fracking radiation
Wastewater from fracking can contain high levels of radiation (photo: J Henry Fair) by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, The Associated Press HOUSTON – Researchers believe they have found an unlikely way to decrease the radioactivity of some hydraulic fracturing wastewater: Mix it with the hazardous drainage from mining operations. The wastewater is created
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Regulator ‘pulling a fast one’ with short Kinder Morgan public comment period
Read this Jan. 9 Vancouver Sun story on the unusually short public comment period set by the National Energy Board for the proposed Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion to Vancouver – a decision their spokesperson says is due to political pressure from the Harper Government. OTTAWA — A federal regulator is “pulling a fast
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper fires back at Neil Young’s anti-Tar Sands tour
Legendary rocker Neil Young should mind his own carbon footprint, says Stephen Harper Read this Jan. 12 story from Sun News on Stephen Harper’s response to an anti-Tar Sands tour being led by Canadian-born rock legend Neil Young. OTTAWA – Responding to Neil Young’s anti-oilsands tour, the Prime Minister’s Office
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rain blamed for yet another CN derailment – this time near Vancouver
Yet another derailment for CN, this time involving coal, near Vancouver. BURNABY, B.C. – A CN Rail spokeswoman has confirmed heavy rainfall led to a train derailment in the Vancouver area Saturday. Emily Hamer says the increased amount of rain caused a beaver dam to wash out, spilling large amounts
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fukushima water decontamination system breaks down
Tanks containing radioactive water at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant (Issei Kato / Reuters) Read this Jan. 9 story from RT.com, reporting on the failure of the water decontamination system at Japan’s badly-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company)
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Yet another CNRL leak probed by Alberta regulator in Cold Lake
An earlier CNRL leak in Cold Lake, Alberta (Chester Dawson / Wall Street Journal) COLD LAKE, Alta. – The Alberta Energy Regulator is investigating another leak from a Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ) bitumen well near Cold Lake. The regulator says 27,000 litres of crude bitumen were released underground on Jan.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Multiple spy agency watchdogs have ties to oil industry
Security Intelligence Review Committee head and ex-Conservative MP Chuck Strahl (Adrian Wyld/CP) Read this Jan. 10 story from CBC.ca on further revelations of Canadian spy agency watchdogs with lobbying ties to the oil and gas industry. While the head of the watchdog committee overseeing Canada’s intelligence agency is under attack
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Disney abandons educational tour promoting fracking to kids
Ohio TV station NBC 4 is reporting that Radio Disney has decided to back out of a controversial partnership promoting fracking to elementary schoolers, labelled “Rocking in Ohio”. Disney’s participation in a 26-stop educational tour of shale gas-rich Ohio – sponsored by the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) – provoked
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Disney promotes fracking to elementary schoolers
Read this Jan 8 story from Aljazeera America on Radio Disney’s controverisal participation in an educational tour of Ohio, promoting fracking to kids. An educational program funded by Ohio’s oil and gas industry and sponsored by Radio Disney has environmental activists — and some parents — up in arms over
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper guts more fish protections: NEB takes over habitat along pipelines
It’s the latest in a long line of efforts by the Harper Government to dismantle Canada’s environmental laws in order to facilitate energy development. In a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the National Energy Board – quietly released just before Christmas – DFO relinquished much of its
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Governor unveils new plan for $65 Billion Alaska gas pipeline
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, circa 1976 by Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska – Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday announced a new way forward on a long-hoped-for natural gas pipeline that includes scrapping the terms of a 2007 law he says no longer works well for the
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