To nobody’s surprise the other day, Canada’s moribund National Energy Board (NEB), once again, approved the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. And once again to the barricades my friends to stop the tripling of the ocean-going tankers manoeuvring under Lions Gate Bridge, through Vancouver Harbour to the Second Narrows and into Burrard Inlet to fill up on highly polluting tar sands bitumen.
The NEB approval comes with the caution that the traffic will harm the killer whales, annoy some of the aboriginal groups (probably the ones that could not be bought off) and cause significant greenhouse gas emissions. Since nobody has figured out a way to provide emergency measures services to the endangered Orcas, you would think this advice alone from the board would come with a negative on the project.
But, no. The NEB obviously made note that the federal government now owns and operates the pipeline and the government can do what it wants anyway. And since this is also the government that appoints the board members, you can assume that they would not bite the hand that feeds them. And, at the same time, it pleased their friends down at the Calgary Petroleum Club. This was a win-win for those guys.
The funniest response was from Alberta premier Rachel Notley. She took a cautiously optimistic approach. She figures it’s an important step, though she did not seem to be rushing to call out the brass bands.
But the federal government still has 90 days to make a final decision. It can take its time. Notley and the tar sands exploiters have spent a great deal of money on the false advertising for their part in the tar sands charade. You would think that with how Notley and her government have stood up for the lies, there would be some payoff. They have cut themselves off from the federal new democrats and crossed the country telling us that ‘bitumen is good for you.’
Despite all her efforts, I hear there will be nothing but bad news for Notley in the election she has to call.
Maybe Justin Trudeau will be even more of a chump. Does he really think his liberals will hold all three seats they now hold in Alberta after the October election?
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Copyright 2019 © Peter Lowry
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