Council of Canadians:Energy East would put waterways at risk

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Energy East pipeline would put waterways at risk, says Council of Canadians

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By David Howell Edmonton Journal August 26, 2014

TransCanada’s proposed 4,500-kilometre Energy East pipeline poses too much risk to waterways to be approved, the Council of Canadians says.

The $12-billion pipeline would carry 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day from terminals at Hardisty, Alta. and Moosomin, Sask. to refineries in Montreal, the Quebec City region and Saint John, N.B. (MAP)

Crude not used in Eastern Canada would be exported to international markets from marine terminals built in Quebec and New Brunswick.

“We believe the proposal should be rejected,” said Andrea Harden-Donahue, a contributing author to a recent Council report on the pipeline titled Energy East: Where Oil Meets Water.

“From what we’ve been hearing from people, water ranks very high, if not at the top of the list of concerns regarding the risks of this particular pipeline.”

The report says the pipeline would cross at least 90 watersheds and 961 waterways, many of them on First Nations land.

“The potential damage from a major Energy East spill is massive,” it says. “What little we know of (diluted bitumen) spills is enough to show that we can — and must — say no to this pipeline to protect the waterways along its path.”

Shawn Howard, a spokesman for TransCanada, said via email that the pipeline will be designed to operate safely. The report “simply repackages the same claims that this opposition group has been making since we announced Energy East …

“It’s very easy to oppose everything, but much harder to be involved in solutions as companies like TransCanada are.”

Harden-Donahue said that in addition to posing threats to water supplies, Energy East would spur further oilsands development and lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

A social justice group, the Council opposes Energy East and all other pipelines that would transport Alberta bitumen to export markets, including Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and Line 9 Reversal projects, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion and TransCanada’s Keystone XL.

It argues that instead of approving pipelines and encouraging further oilsands expansion, the Canadian government should develop strong policies to protect the environment and focus on renewable and sustainable energy solutions. It also urges government action on climate change.

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