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Elizabeth May "shocked" by latest revelation about Harper government and Enbridge

Really?  Feds plans to drop $100 M on Enbridge infrastructure before the pipeline's been approved?

That's what Elizabeth May and Andrew Weaver, said this morning in a press conference, citing Environment Canada documents they said show that the Harper government is spending more than $100 million on infrastructure to support the proposed Enbridge pipeline, before it's even been approved.

“Documents obtained from Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans reveal that at a time when core science is being cut across the Government of Canada, tax dollars are being spent to do Enbridge’s homework for them,” said Andrew Weaver, the Green Party MLA from Victoria.

The Federal Government is moving forward over the next two years with a $100 million plus, ‘Complementary Measures Project’ (now called ‘World Class’) to research and model the complex waterways in the Kitimat and Hecate Strait region.

"In essence this is a federal government subsidy to the Northern Gateway Project, as they are unable to satisfy basic safety, environmental and regulatory requirements. In fact documents from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified that: “Behaviour models specific to dilbit (diluted bitumen) spills do not exist, and existing commercial models for conventional oil do not allow parameter specific modifications," Weaver said.

The funds are being spent to do Enbridge's homework for them, May, the federal Green Party's leader, said.

May said Enbridge didn't do the research on dilbit, so the government is doing it for them. Other money is operational and represents an investment in better weather forecasting for navigational routes for oil tankers  that don't exist yet, May said.

To build the infrastructure for supertanker routes that are currently not used for oil tankers represents jumping the gun, May said. She said she was shocked by this.

Hecate Straight one of the most hazardous bodies of water, according to Environment Canada, she added.

After listing cuts the feds made last year to spending on science projects throughout Canada,  May commented that apparently the Harper administration isn't interested "that kind of science." If you go back to the budget of 2012, you can see what kind of science Harper's interested in, she said, referring to a clause that described projects of interest as "business relevant."

Weaver called on the government of British Columbia to follow through on the concerns they raised in their JRP submission. 

He asked that Premier Christy Clark give an emphatic no to the Northern Gateway Project without ‘needless delay’. He said that "given the evidence available today the BC Government should implement an immediate moratorium on heavy oil tankers in BC coastal waters.”

• Only one in three Americans say they discuss global warming at least occasionally with friends or family, down 8 points since November 2008;

• Few Americans (<8%) communicated publically about global warming in the past 12 months (e.g., online or in the media);

• About one in ten Americans wrote letters, emailed, or phoned a government official about global warming in the past 12 months;

• Of those Americans who contacted a government official in the past 12 months about global warming, three in four say they urged the official to take action to reduce it;

• One in four Americans discussed a company’s “irresponsible environmental behavior” with friends and/or family in the past 12 months;

• Americans who experienced an extreme weather event in the past year were most likely to talk to others about it face-to-face or by phone, while few did so using social media;

• Americans say their own fam

- See more at: http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/article/how-americans-communicate-about-global-warming-april-2013/#sthash.0vQ2GBvP.dpuf

 

Only one in three Americans say they discuss global warming at least occasionally with friends or family, down 8 points since November 2008;

• Few Americans (<8%) communicated publically about global warming in the past 12 months (e.g., online or in the media);

• About one in ten Americans wrote letters, emailed, or phoned a government official about global warming in the past 12 months;

• Of those Americans who contacted a government official in the past 12 months about global warming, three in four say they urged the official to take action to reduce it;

• One in four Americans discussed a company’s “irresponsible environmental behavior” with friends and/or family in the past 12 months;

• Americans who experienced an extreme weather event in the past year were most likely to talk to others about it face-to-face or by phone, while few did so using social media;

• Americans say their own family and friends have the greatest ability to convince them to take action to reduce global warming;

• If asked by a person they “like and respect”, the actions that Americans are most willing to take are signing a petition, attending a public meeting, or attending a neighborhood meeting about global warming;

• Many Americans (24%) would support an organization that engaged in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse;

• One in eight people (13%) say they would be willing to personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse.

Key Six America’s Findings

• Two-thirds of the Alarmed have discussed a company’s “irresponsible environmental behavior” at least occasionally with family or friends over the past 12 months; fewer than half of the other “Six Americas” have done so;

• The Alarmed are the most likely to have written letters, emailed, or phoned a government official about global warming in the past 12 months;

• All Six Americas say their own family and friends have the greatest ability to convince them to take action to reduce global warming.

- See more at: http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/article/how-americans-communicate-about-global-warming-april-2013/#sthash.TRgOuKIo.dpuf

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