Obama administration approves pipeline for Alberta tar sands, skirts climate issue

By August 21, 2009March 19th, 20152 Comments

2 Comments

  • Jim Cummings says:

    In the category of rippling effects, this pipeline’s OK may well drive the oil sands development forward with enough momentum to also make the proposed pipeline to the BC coast more likely to occur. One of the many consequences of this would be an increase in large tanker traffic in one of the world’s more pristine coastal zones. There are few areas in the world’s oceans that have not heard large increases in background noise (which dramatically limits the communication range of large whales), and this would infect yet another region. Carbon, forests, shipping traffic….how many negatives does it take to counterbalance the “need” for more oil?

  • rmcclure says:

    Jim — Thanks very much for bringing this to our attention. I hadn’t really even considered the effects the B.C. trade might have on marine mammals. Have you been studying this? How about sending me an e-mail at rmcclure@invw.org so we can continue this discussion?

    Thanks,
    Robert McClure

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