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NEWS: North Bay, Ontario expresses opposition to Energy East pipeline

The North Bay Nugget reports, “The proposed 4,400-kilometre (TransCanada Energy East) pipeline, which travels through North Bay, will carry between 500,000 and 850,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Eastern Canada. The company is looking to convert one of two natural gas pipelines already in use in North Bay into a tar sands pipeline that transports bitumen, which is oil diluted with light crude oil, natural gas and other chemicals. The pipeline is located around several waterways in North Bay and Area, as well, Temagami, Sturgeon Falls and several other Northern communities.”

The article highlights, “TransCanada is promising to hold an open house to address resident’s concerns pertaining to the Energy East Pipeline Project. (But) Philippe Cannon, spokesman for the company said it’s too early to say when the meeting will take place, but ‘it will happen’.”

“Despite TransCanada’s promise of this project creating a new domestic market for Western Canada’s oil production and potentially opening new opportunities for international exports, as well, creating jobs and securing a stable supply of oil, there’s been opposition. Last month about 75 people attended a presentation on the Energy East Pipeline project in North Bay, which showed the potential devastating environmental effects tar sands can have on a community when a pipeline leaks or explodes. Several area residents spoke out against the project saying they’re worried about health effects and don’t want the public to be fooled with the promise of jobs.”

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has commented, “This pipeline would pose serious threats to local water supplies and communities along the route. The option then to export to the much larger and more profitable markets of India, China and Europe with massive tankers from the deep water port is also a major concern of ours.”

While this pipeline would still have to go through a National Energy Board review process, Harper’s Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver stated in early-April, “We welcome such proposals, because they can generate thousands of Canadian jobs and long-term economic prosperity — particularly in Quebec and the Maritimes — for generations to come.”

The article adds, “Construction of the pipeline to Montreal is expected to take place by 2017 and to St. John by 2018.”

For more, please read:
NEWS: TransCanada CEO says we need to “get oil exported on the water”
A Primer on TransCanada’s West-East Pipeline
NEWS: TransCanada seeks bids for its Alberta-New Brunswick pipeline
VIEW: Laxer opposes west to east pipeline proposals