ACTION ALERT: Harper must reject NEB ruling on Keystone pipeline

October 18, 2007

As reported by the Edmonton Journal on September 21, "The National Energy Board (yesterday) gave its long-awaited approval to TransCanada Corp.'s multibillion dollar Keystone pipeline..."

The TransCanada website states, "the 3,456-kilometre...Keystone Pipeline will transport crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta to U.S. Midwest markets at Wood River and Patoka, Illinois and to Cushing, Oklahoma...The Keystone Pipeline will have an initial nominal capacity of 435,000 barrels per day in late 2009 and will be expanded to a nominal capacity of 590,000 barrels per day in late 2010. Keystone has contracts with shippers totalling 495,000 barrels per day with an average term of 18 years."

In its ruling, the NEB said that the pipeline project is "in the public interest" and needed for "the present and future public convenience and necessity."

Significantly, decisions made by the National Energy Board need to be forwarded to the federal cabinet for final determination. The Harper cabinet is expected to review this decision prior to mid-December.

Click here to read the Council of Canadians presentation to the National Energy Board opposing the Keystone pipeline project.

In terms of additional criticism, as reported by the Edmonton Journal, "Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said the Keystone ruling was an opportunity for Premier Ed Stelmach to force oil companies to upgrade and process bitumen in Alberta. Even as the decision came down, he was busy writing an angry letter to the premier condemning what he called a 'bitumen superhighway' out of Alberta. (He said) 'This may be great news for American companies but it's bad for people who want more value added processing in Alberta.'"

TAKE ACTION
Write Prime Minister Stephen Harper today at pm@pm.gc.ca and demand that he reject the decision by the National Energy Board that the Keystone pipeline be approved and that the Standing Committee on Natural Resources hold hearings on the consequences of the Keystone pipeline, as well as the 'Alberta Clipper' and 'Southern Lights Project' pipelines, which are currently proceeding through the NEB approvals process.

Draft letter:

Prime Minister Harper,

I join with the Council of Canadians and others in calling on you to reject the decision by the National Energy Board to approve the Keystone pipeline project. The export of 590,000 barrels of crude oil from Canada to the United States is not in the public interest when we lose some 18,000 Canadian jobs as a result and when our own energy security needs have not been addressed. Canada needs a Canadian energy security strategy that includes an exemption of energy from NAFTA’s proportional sharing clause, and a return to Canada’s previous policy of maintaining a 25-year supply of oil and gas to meet domestic needs first. I urge you to reject the NEB's decision on the Keystone pipeline.

Sincerely,
<your name>

cc. Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn, lunng@parl.gc.ca

Brent Patterson, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, The Council of Canadians

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