HUNDREDS of people gathered in George Little Park in downtown Terrace this afternoon with groups singing, dancing and voicing their opposition to Enbridge’s planned $6.5 billion Northern Gateway oil pipeline.

Organized by a coalition of environmental and First Nations groups, the demonstration, which was followed by a march through downtown Terrace, comes one day before a federal panel begins final hearings into the plan to pipe Alberta oil to a marine export terminal at Kitimat.

Read more at:

http://www.terracestandard.com/news/211696591.html

Go here to see the full story. http://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-rejects-northern-gateway-pipeline-over-environmental-concerns-1.1305479

By THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published May 31, 2013 11:20 am

The province of British Columbia has ended years of speculation, telling a federal review panel that it does not support the Northern Gateway pipeline.

In its final written submission to the review panel, the province recommends the $6-billion project should not be approved as it has been proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge.

In a 99-page submission, the province notes the company has made many commitments to oil spill prevention and response but has not presented any real assurance that it will be able to meet those commitments.

The province says the Northern Gateway is not a typical pipeline.

It will transport diluted bitumen from the Alberta oilsands — a substance that is not well understood and which would have a profound effect in the event of a spill.

The review panel will hear final arguments starting next month, and a final report is due to the federal government by the end of the year.

By Rebecca Penty – May 23, 2013 | Bloomberg

Enbridge Inc. (ENB) is moving ahead with plans to meet five conditions for the British Columbia government to support its proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline, after a Liberal re-election made clear terms needed to satisfy officials in the Pacific Coast province.
Enbridge, the largest transporter of Canadian crude, plans to sit down with Premier Christy Clark’s government to discuss her support, Vern Yu, vice president of business development at Enbridge, told reporters today in Calgary.

Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/nhnbuox

HARTLEY BAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – May 16, 2013)

The Gitga’at First Nation has instructed Enbridge to leave its territory after the company and a team of oil spill response surveyors showed-up uninvited, during the nation’s annual food harvesting camp, a time of rich cultural activity and knowledge sharing.
Enbridge representatives were instructed to leave Gitga’at council chambers and Gitga’at territory, Wednesday morning, after councillors voiced their displeasure at not being consulted on an Enbridge oil spill response survey.
The dust-up comes on the eve of final oral arguments before the Joint Review Panel, which is reviewing the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

Read the full press release here: http://tinyurl.com/akqakmj

Robin Rowland | Northwest Coast Energy News and Issues

The pollsters were the biggest losers in the British Columbia provincial election on May 14—but not in the way everyone is talking about.

It’s clear to the Wednesday morning quarterbacks that the big issue in BC was the economy, and voters chose that economy over the environment.

That’s where the pollsters failed and have failed time and time again for the past decade. As long as the pollsters keep asking the stupid question “What’s more important the environment or the economy?” a majority of voters, especially in uncertain times, will choose the economy. Politicians will campaign, as Christy Clark did brilliantly, by promising that there are better economic days ahead, putting the environment far down the priority list.

By the time Canadians and all human beings realize that a viable economy is based on a sustainable environment it may be too late to save either.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/akqebgu

Elizabeth Berman | Council of Canadians

Eighteen months after being ordered to correct important safety issues with its oil and gas pipelines, Enbridge has finally filed a plan with the National Energy Board (NEB) as to how and when it will come into compliance with the NEB’s regulations. The company doesn’t want its plan made public, however, and has asked the NEB to keep its filing confidential. A ruling is expected later this week.

Read more at : http://tinyurl.com/btn8n5s

Kevin Logan | The Common Sense Canadian

Christy Clark and the BC Liberals have made a lot of bold claims about their position on pipelines proposed for British Columbia.

However, what they have neglected to tell British Columbians is that their government has entered into binding agreements that ensure the success of pipelines from Alberta to the BC Coast.

Everyone knows there has been a lot of politics surrounding pipeline developments in British Columbia, but very few are aware of the longstanding agreements, established by the BC Liberals, that ensure the success of the proposed pipelines and have thoroughly tied the hands of all BC Stakeholders leaving them with no capacity to actually impact the processes that will ensure the success of these developments.

Read on, and see the video analysis, at : http://tinyurl.com/blbd4t6

According to Tom Gunton, director of the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU, terminal spills are predicted to occur within 15 to 41 years, not 62 years as Enbridge projects, and there would be multiple pipeline spills – up to 15 per year – not one spill every two years, the study maintains.

The study predicts 776 oil and condensate pipeline spills over 50 years, which is 31 times more frequent than Enbridge’s estimate of 25 spills. “So that’s a huge difference,” said Dr. Gunton, who did the study with PhD candidate Sean Broadbent.

“The problem is the Joint Review Panel does not have complete evidence before them on the likelihood of an oil spill. And the evidence they do have from Enbridge has serious deficiencies in methodology. So it’s impossible for the JRP to make an informed, evidence-based assessment,” Dr. Gunton said.

His study comes too late to be entered as evidence before the JRP, which is gearing up to hear final arguments.

 For more details on this study you can download a pdf at pacificwild.org

The questioning phase of the Enbridge hearings finished on Wednesday. It’s been a long process and many unanswered questions remain. Below is a photo of Cheryl and Daveof Douglas Channel Watch who have spent countless hours of their own time grilling Enbridge on their risky plans for the Douglas Channel and Kitimat Valley. Thank you, Cheryl and Dave!

The Final Argument hearings begin in Terrace on June 17th.