Last Friday’s Canadian American Business Council’s Energy and Climate Forum in Washington was a lot more action-packed than most industry conferences.
According to a release sent out by ForestEthics, a nonprofit operating out of Canada, the United States and Chile, a large crowd was demonstrating against U.S. consumption of the “world’s dirtiest oil” from Canada. Inside, while the forum’s keynote speaker praised Canadian natural gas, protesters displayed a banner that said “Tar Sands: Too Dirty to be Greenwashed.”
Linda Wells of ForestEthics said, “We have fought long and hard for our clean energy future, and we’re not going to let Canada’s dirty oil spoil it.”
ForestEthics and Rainforest Action Network protested the forum (dedicated to cros border alignment between Canada and the United States on energy and climate policies) because of Canada’s plans to expand Tar Sands oil production. The problem, according to ForestEthics, is that Tar Sands oil production depletes fresh drinking water and leads to unusually high levels of toxic pollutants in both air and water.
“Further investment in the Tar Sands would be a climate disaster,” said Rainforest Action Network’s Rebecca Tarbotton.
The protests, led by ForestEthics and Rainforest Action Network, are the beginning of ForestEthics’ second round of demonstrated public opposition in the U.S. to the Tar Sands. n the first round, ForestEthics and two indigenous First Nations from Alberta published a full-page ad in USA Today the day before U.S. President Barack Obama made his first official visit to Canada.
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:58 am
This is coming at an interesting time – there’s so much sensitivity around Canada-U.S. trade and what Obama’s energy policies are going to mean for Harper’s. What does this mean for our industry’s energy sector? Leave your comments!
June 26th, 2009 at 4:53 am
I have just finished reading “Tar Sands, Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent” written by Andrew Nikiforuk. The destruction of habitat and the environmental consequences of the “Tar Sands project” are enormous. With a typical head in the sand approach, the Alberta and Canadian governments approval of these projects, shows a penchant for counting only the revenue side of the equation.
There has been a complete acquiescence of any environmental responsibilities to the local or world communities. The multinational corporations, the provincial and federal governments should all be held liable for the massive destruction that they are inflicting. These projects are a perfect example of how to “greenwash while plundering”.
This is past sad, it is despicable.
David Weintraub
Liverpool, Nova Scotia
June 26th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I absolutely agree that things can’t go on this way. How we find a solution is less clear.