On Wednesday, Council of Canadians supporters joined with local residents and other concerned groups at BP’s office in Halifax where we threw the Big Oil company an “Unwelcoming Party.”
As we told you last week, we learned that Big Oil giant BP is in the process of moving a massive oil rig to offshore Nova Scotia where the Trudeau government has given approval for the corporation to begin drilling exploratory wells.
We wanted BP to know that we will not stay silent about the risks this reckless plan poses to our coasts, fisheries, livelihoods, and climate.
About 60 people joined the party, bringing a giant “unwelcoming” card, balloons, wilted flowers, and a serious message: “BP, get out of here!”
BP has federal approval to drill nearly twice the depth of the Deepwater Horizon well – the well that ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the largest marine spill ever recorded.
For us, the risk is even greater offshore Nova Scotia, where stopping and containing a ruptured well is made more difficult by virtue of the harsher conditions of the North Atlantic.
Time is of the essence. BP could start drilling just days from now – and the risk of an environmental disaster is simply too great for you and me to ignore.
Despite all the lessons learned from the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP is not applying those lessons to their Nova Scotia drilling project. For example, did you know:
- The Nova Scotia rig won’t have a capping stack on site which would help stop the flow of oil in the event of a spill.
- BP said it plans to use the toxic dispersant Corexit in the ocean to address a spill.
- BP won’t preemptively drill relief wells before a blowout happens.
Offshore drilling has been proven to be dangerous and destructive time and time again, and the risks to Nova Scotia’s fisheries, tourism and climate are just too high. The project will also infringe on Indigenous rights.
You and I can’t sit by and let BP start drilling with so much at risk. Join the fight for our ocean and our climate. If you haven’t already, please add your voice to our national petition calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to step in and stop this reckless project.
If you will be in Halifax on April 20, please join us at the Liberal Party of Canada’s National Convention tell the entire Liberal Party to reject Bill C-69, a bill that would hand even more power to the unelected, industry-laden Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, which has approved BP’s rig to enter Nova Scotia waters and is expected to provide outstanding permits to drill in the coming weeks.
The Council of Canadians South Shore Chapter members and our Atlantic staff have been leading voices in this fight since we first learned of BP’s plans. With the help of our generous supporters like you, we plan to hire an independent expert to provide evidence about the risks of offshore drilling in Nova Scotia and directly challenge the government’s approval of the project.
Help us say: “BP: Get out of Nova Scotia waters!”
