Does a Northern Gateway Pipeline Make Sense? (Part 1)

The Federal Government and Alberta’s Provincial Government are advocating that a new pipeline to the Pacific Ocean is essential to growth of the petroleum industry in Alberta. Enbridge has proposed to build a 1200 km pipeline to ship bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands across the rugged terrain of British Columbia to a marine terminal in Kitimat, BC. Is the Northern Gateway Pipeline needed? What are the economic benefits of the pipeline? What are the environmental risks of the pipeline and the shipping of bitumen in tankers through the hazardous waters of the Douglas Channel? Are there alternatives to building this pipeline, which has been heavily criticized by many native groups and NGO’s? The speaker will explore the many environmental issues surrounding the Northern Gateway Pipeline project which currently is undergoing public hearings before a joint review panel. Speaker: Barry Robinson Barry Robinson is a staff lawyer in the Calgary office of Ecojustice. Prior to obtaining his law degree, Barry worked in the forest industry in northern Alberta and as an environmental consultant. Since joining Ecojustice in 2008, Barry has represented clients dealing with the environmental impacts of oil and gas activities, water allocation and licensing issues, and the protection of species at risk. Barry acts as legal consultant to three environmental groups in the joint hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.