Major Victory Against Tar Sands Pipeline Development
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports:
In a big win for the spectacular Spirit Bear Coast and its wildlife, the British Columbia government has just announced its formal opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway tar sands pipeline.
This is a key breakthrough in our fight against tar sands development — and one that would not have been possible without online activism.
Hundreds of thousands called on British Columbia Premier Christy Clark to oppose this destructive pipeline scheme — and your voices were heard!
At the same time, NRDC experts testified alongside local partners at critical government hearings and uncovered the damning facts about this project and the havoc it would wreak on the spectacular Spirit Bear Coast.
The Northern Gateway pipeline, proposed by energy giant Enbridge, would carry 500,000 barrels a day of the world’s dirtiest oil from the Alberta tar sands through the coastal rainforest home of some of the very last Spirit Bears on Earth.
This wildlife paradise is teeming with orcas, humpbacks and wolves. Its world-class salmon runs have supported many First Nations communities for thousands of years. Just one tar sands spill could despoil this natural treasure forever.
But please know that this battle is far from over.
The ultimate fate of the Northern Gateway now rests in the hands of federal decision-makers. We must build on the momentum of this latest victory and ensure that the Canadian government rejects this destructive pipeline once and for all.
At the same time, we’ll be ramping up our fight against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
British Columbia’s decision to reject tar sands is a powerful rebuke to our State Department’s position that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline is safe. If Canadians — who stand to profit most from tar sands development — are opposed to a tar sands pipeline, why should our nation be willing to take on that risk?
Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council