Pacific Trails Pipeline Project clears the path for Enbridge, largely under the radar of most British Columbians.

If there is one thing that can be said about all the attention being paid to the Northern Gateway Project, it is that it provides a good distraction for other projects and issues to move along without getting the same ass kicking Enbridge is.

Take for example, the Pacific Trails Pipeline project ( also referred to as the KSL line). While there has been protest here and there, and media coverage during the approval process, by and large it has flown completely under the radar of most British Columbians. That is a damn shame in my opinion, and I’m going to tell you why.

First of all, this pipeline is owned by Apache Corporation, Encana and EOG Resources (formerly Enron). It is going to be transporting LNG to Kitimat in an expanded 42 inch diameter pipe and will assist in driving expansion of fracking in Northeastern BC, something the Liberals are all over like flies on dung. Unfortunately for the people in that area of BC, the NDP are right on board with fracking as well, energy critic John Horgan extolling the virtues as he perceives them in this linked interview.

It’s all the same junk,different piles… the pipeline, the LNG plant in Kitimat, expansion of fracking in BC and the proposed Site C dam – something Clark already admitted is needed to power LNG plants and expansion in BC. We are rushing around trying to get resources to a Chinese market that has already bought up so many LNG supply contracts around the world, and is now showing signs of the same economic decline and crunch the rest of the world has been experiencing for far longer.

But wait, if that isn’t contentious enough for you already, here is the real point you might not have known about yet. The Pacific Trails Pipeline runs from just north of Summit Lake, ( about 55 kms north of Prince George) to Kitimat…. and a large portion of this pipeline right of way follows the same route Enbridge plans for the Northern Gateway pipeline.

In fact, Pacific Trails is beginning to clear the pipeline route this summer, logging and cutting brush and many fear this is going to pave the way for Enbridge and mitigate much of the environmental impact in this area… and Enbridge has it all that much easier for a portion of their total route.

In May 2011, Damien Gillis reported on an interview Enbridge CEO Pat Daniels did with Fox News in which he said the following:

“We think we’re in a very strong position with regard to exporting Canadian natural gas in particular. We’re currently putting forward our credentials to the proponents – EOG, Apache, Shell and others – that are working on moving Western Canadian natural gas out to the West Coast; and we would hope to be able to see some synergies with the right-of-way that we’re working on with our Gateway pipeline out to the West Coast. So, yes, we’re very interested in doing that and we would hope to be the the pipeline provider for one or both of those alternatives. (emphasis added)”

While largely unreported by major media outlets, there has has already been physical opposition to the Pacific Trails Pipeline by the Unist’ot’en and the Likhts’amisyu of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, who evicted and escorted out Pacific Trails Pipeline drillers and their equipment back in November. They are continuing to protest this pipeline and others that cross their territories and will threaten the two main salmon spawning and food supply streams they rely on as the staple in their diet. They don’t go to Choices to buy eco friendly, organics, they live off the land – the very land both these pipelines cross and I believe you can toss Kinder Morgan in there too. They need support. This is their way of life.

With active clearing already begun for the Pacific Trails/KSL line, the time has come for all British Columbians to inform themselves about what’s going on and what they can do about it. This pipeline has already been approved, without a lot of fuss or fight and this portion of the line, is crucial to Enbridge who must already have an agreement in place with the partners behind Pacific Trails to use the same right of way in this area. It might even be that if Enbridge’s Bitumen line is tanked, they will be in place to offer the option of LNG transport…. another synergy between partners?

I don’t hold all the answers.

I support sustainable and environmentally sound resource extraction and believe this can be achieved… if the dedication and values are there in government to set the standard for such. Unfortunately, our governments are not in line with this goal, are willing to sell BC to the highest bidders and for that reason I do believe the people must set the standard and ensure their lands are protected, at any cost.

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” ~Cree Proverb

The people of the Wet’suwet’en Nation have issued a call to action: Indigenous people are asking for solidarity to stop the bulldozing of the Enbridge pipeline route in Northern BC. This summer, Pacific Trails Pipeline company plans to clear hundreds of kilometers of forests, streams, and wetlands for their gas pipeline. Clans in the Wet’suwet’en First Nation say NO. They are calling for support at Unis’tot’en Camp in the path of the pipelines.

Answer the call. Complete information on this event can be found at http://forestaction.wikidot.com/caravan