The Enbridge Plan
The Northern Gateway Pipeline is a proposal by Enbridge to construct two 1,170-kilometre pipelines between Bruderheim (north of Edmonton) Alberta and Kitimat, B.C. One pipeline would carry 525,000 barrels per day of tar sands bitumen west to a new oil tanker port at Kitimat. The other would carry toxic condensate east for use in diluting tar sands crude.
A risky proposition
Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline would cross more than 800 streams and rivers, including sensitive salmon spawning habitat in the upper Fraser, Skeena, and Kitimat watersheds. It would also bring more than 225 oil tankers, including supertankers, to B.C.'s North Coast for the first time ever. Here, an oil tanker spill would damage the famous Great Bear Rainforest, home to the iconic Spirit Bear.
A wall of opposition
The Enbridge proposal has sparked unprecedented opposition from people across B.C. and Canada due to unacceptable environmental risks. First Nations in B.C. have formed an unbroken wall of opposition to Enbridge's pipeline and tanker plan. Over 130 First Nations groups have signed the "Save the Fraser Declaration" against the transport of tar sands oil across their lands and waters.
First Nations are joined by a growing number of local governments. The City of Prince Rupert, City of Terrace, Town of Smithers, District of Fort St. James and the Regional Districts of Skeena-Queen Charlotte and Kitimat-Stikine have all passed formal resolutions opposing the Enbridge project. In 2010 and 2012, the Union of BC Municipalities also passed similar resolutions.
Independent citizens are joining the movement to oppose in ways and numbers not seen in 20 years. Hundreds of protests have been happening in nearly every community in the province. Public opinion polling consistently shows that between 60 and 80 percent of British Columbians oppose the Enbridge project, and that opposition crosses traditional party and ideological lines.
A federal "Joint Review Panel" led by the Federal government’s National Energy Board is currently reviewing the Enbridge proposal and discussing its merits and drawbacks in communities across BC and Alberta. It is scheduled to complete its review in December 2013 and issue a final recommendation. One of the many changes to weaken environmental laws the Federal Government included in its "omnibus budget legislation" of 2012 was to give final approval of the NGP to the Federal Cabinet, as opposed to this arms length regulator.