TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline project would deliver oil from Western Canada and North Western United States to Eastern Canada. The length would be 4,600 km’s with approximately 70 percent consisting of pre-existing pipeline that would be converted from natural gas to crude oil. The project would have a total capacity of 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day.
The following are 15 facts about Energy East that are often overlooked by those opposed to the project:
- Paid protest groups opposing Energy East have never opposed foreign oil imports coming into Eastern Canadian refineries. This highlights the true benefactors of the opposition to Canadian pipelines, competing and typically less regulated foreign oil producing countries.
- In 2010 almost 50% of Canada’s manufacturing was tied to our natural resource industries. We all benefit from our resources. (McDonald Laurier institue)
- Eastern Canada imports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil every day and yet there are nearly 172 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Canada today. We should be supporting local, made in Canada resources and local jobs (www.atlantic.ctvnews.com)
- Transporting oil via pipeline is five times safer than transporting it by rail. (Fraser Institute)
- Since announcing Energy East in 2013, $25 million has been spent with companies in Quebec, and $30 million in Ontario, to design and develop the project.
- Energy East will add $55 billion to the Canadian economy over its 20-year operational period. (Conference Board of Canada)
- The pipeline will support a projected 14,000 new jobs across Canada. (Conference Board of Canada)
- Global Oil demand is increasing. Every barrel that doesn’t come from Canada will be replaced typically by a less regulated country with no regards for our world class standards on the environment and human rights.
- Traditional ecological knowledge studies have also been mounted in order to provide information for the planning process of the project. These involve the collection of traditional knowledge from First Nations communities regarding vegetation, wildlife, aquatics, archaeology and wetlands.
- Extensive environmental studies have also been mounted since 2012, with the goal of examining effects to wildlife, fisheries, plants, species at risk or of special status, soils, heritage resources or traditional land use, air and greenhouse gas emissions. All topsoil removed during the construction of Energy East will be stored for future reclamation efforts.
- From 2012 to 2015, Canada spent almost $100,000,000,000 on foreign oil imports.
- Drivers in Atlantic Canada currently pay a premium for the foreign oil they import, meaning that they pay higher prices at the pump than other Canadians. Energy East would remedy this by supplying Eastern Canada with Canadian oil. (Huffington Post – Energy East Pipeline Explained)
- The project will be one of the most technologically advanced pipelines ever built. Energy East will have 24/7 monitoring system with highly trained staff and satellite technology as well as safety valves strategically located to minimize impact to safety and environment.
- Of the world’s top 15 oil exporting countries, only Canada, Norway and the USA are considered “free” according to Freedom House.
- Almost 150,000 km’s of pipeline are planned or under construction around the world. This includes massive pipeline expansion projects in the Middle East and Russia. While Canada delays, the rest of the world is profiting from their resources at our expense. Anyone that cares about the global environment and social justice would support more Canadian exports to the world!
Cody Battershill is a Calgary realtor and founder/spokesperson for CanadaAction.ca, a non-profit, volunteer driven organization that supports Canadian resource development and the environmental, social and economic benefits that come with it.