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Volume 57 No. 29
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Sentinel
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
1.34 INCLUDES TAX
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Members of the Rio Tinto Alcan team give it their best effort during the annual Kitimat Dragon Boat Regatta which took place Saturday, July 7 at Minette Bay Marina. Doug Thomson
Dix condemns Enbridge over US report Sean Glanville The US National Transportation Safety Board released their report on Enbridge’s handling of the massive June 2010 oil spill on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan Tuesday morning. “Enbridge’s failure to exercise effective oversight of pipeline integrity and control center operations, implement an effective public awareness program, and implement an adequate post-accident response were organizational failures that resulted in the accident and increased its severity,” read the report. Provincial NDP leader Adrian Dix was available to media for a conference call Tuesday to discuss the findings in regards to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. “The long term effects for the people of Michigan and the Kalamazoo River will be felt for a long time and have been serious in terms of health, the environment, and the economy,” said Dix. “Here in BC those risks to us have to be part of the process.” NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman described Enbridge’s handling of the spill resembling the “Keystone Cops,” referring to the fictional early 20th century silent films featuring incompetent policemen.
The report takes direct aim at Enbridge also dumbfounded as to why the Liberals for it’s poor handling of the Michigan spill chose not to present evidence to the joint which total cost has now exceeded more review panel prior to the January, 2012 than $800 million, by far the most costly deadline, accusing them of ‘hoarding’ evispill on US soil. This prompted the US dence . Dept. of Transportation to pro“It’s not just that the libpose a $3.7 million fine earlier eral government of BC has this month. failed to take a position, they When you do the math a actually missed the deadline $3.7 million fine on an $800 for evidence,” says Dix. “It million spill is less than one seems unbelievable given the percent of the total cost, and stakes for BC that a governEnbridge still has the right to ment has failed to take any challenge the fine. steps to introduce evidence as This begs the question, to those risks.” Who will pick up the cost if a The NDP leader was adaspill were to occur along the mant that despite missing the Northern Gateway pipeline?. deadline, the evidence must One of the major red flags still be presented. was Enbridge’s internal warn“The BC government has ing systems failure which saw simply been absent without Adrian Dix the pipeline leak for over 17 leave,” says Dix. “It is not unhours before a local gas utility derstandable to me how this worker alerted them. If a leak were to oc- can happen, even though they missed the cur along the proposed Northern Gateway deadline the evidence for BC has to be prepipeline can BC residents expect a similar sented now.” reaction time? The focus of the US report is for strinDix also called on Premier Christy gent environmental regulations on pipelines Clark and the BC liberal government to get while the provincial Liberals and federal off the fence regarding the pipeline. He was Conservatives are lowering environmental
standards. “We need more stringent and direct environmental regulations, what we have in this country is a government at the national level and here at the provincial level going in the opposite direction,” said Dix. Dix referred to this easing of environmental standards at the national level, noting it was less than two years ago that a federal environmental review panel rejected Taseko Mines’s Prosperity project (gold-copper mine near Williams Lake) in November, 2010. “In recent times we saw the environmental reviews over the Prosperity project and the higher standards at the national level than we do here in BC.” The future is looking bright for the NDP as Monday’s Angus Reid poll has them at 45 percent support in BC compared to 23 percent Liberal and 22 percent Conservative. Dix made it clear what the NDP would do about the pipeline if they emerge victorious in next year’s provincial election on May 14, 2013. “If after the election we receive the support from the people of BC and win, the position for the government of BC would change the day after,” said Dix.
Kitimat Youth Award nominees...page 8