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Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing

As the use of hydraulic fracturing has grown, so have concerns about its environmental and public health impacts. One concern is that hydraulic fracturing fluids used to fracture rock formations contain numerous chemicals that could harm human health and the environment, especially if they enter drinking water supplies. The opposition of many oil and gas companies to public disclosure of the chemicals they use has compounded this concern.

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Scathing U.S. report missing from Northern Gateway hearings

A scathing U.S. government report on the 2010 Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River, Mich., has yet to be entered as evidence into the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings, a B.C. economist says.

In an interview airing on CBC Radio's The House, independent economist Robyn Allan told guest host Louise Elliott that while the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report was published in July, "Enbridge hasn't tabled any information, at all, about the spill."

Allan says that Enbridge is underestimating the risks posed by the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline because the company's risk assessment excludes the Kalamazoo spill.

"So far, it's as if Kalamazoo never happened," Allan said.

A ruptured Enbridge pipeline leaked an estimated 877,000 gallons (3.3 million litres) of oil into the Kalamazoo river on July 25, 2010, coating wildlife like birds and fish.
Expert favours moving oil from west to east

Moving Alberta oil to the Maritimes would be good for Nova Scotia, but the ultimate goal would still have to be cutting back on carbon-based fuels, says a Dalhousie University professor who studies energy security.

Larry Hughes said Tuesday that the province needs to improve the security of its oil supply, especially considering the heavy reliance on fuel oil for heating, instead of relying on unstable areas like Nigeria and the Middle East for portions of the supply.

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Chevron in Ecuador: Oil giant should pay-up and clean-up

OTTAWA - Canadian courts should order Chevron to hand over its Canadian assets to compensate Ecuadorian villagers for the toxic legacy they are forced to live with as a result of the cost cutting polluting practices of the company. This court action comes just the Canadian government is attempting to gut environmental laws.

“We have launched #BlackOutSpeakOut because Environmental laws are essential to protect public health and the environment. Without them companies like Chevron will leave a toxic legacy for our children,” said John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada.
Action Alert: Say no to more Shell tarsands mining by Oct 1st!

Say No to Shell: Write a letter to Shell about Jackpine expansion by October 1st
Harper to return to Arctic

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper heads to the Far North next week, with his annual trek focusing on the Western Arctic and developing the region's natural resources.

The five-day north of 60 trip gears up in Whitehorse Monday, with stops at copper and gold mine Minto Mine and Norman Wells, an oil drilling and exploration hub, in the Northwest Territories.

The prime minister then heads to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, where two years ago he announced a new $81 million high Arctic research station would be built in the hamlet perched on the Victoria Island coast in the Arctic archipelago.

The tour wraps in Churchill, Man., where Harper is to take part in Operation Nanook, alongside 1,250 navy, army and air force personnel for an annual northern sovereignty exercise.

Harper has spent a week every summer in the Arctic since he became prime minister, an annual trip meant to assert Canada's presence in the region.
Redford: Meet with public groups, not just oil execs!

Over 5,000 people want Premier Redford to meet with public groups and not just oil execs on the pipeline review. Don't you? Please add your name and share!

Sign the petition below:

https://www.change.org/petitions/meet-with-people-not-just-oil-execs

Please also share the petition among your networks! The more signatures we can get, the quicker Redford will realize how important it is to meet with public groups over our concerns regarding pipeline safety in Alberta. We need an independent review of pipeline safety!

Sierra Club Prairie has been working alongside now over 60 groups across Alberta to call for an independent pipeline review. We are almost there! We just need your help!
Encana gave Harper's leadership campaign $25,000

"(Gwyn) Morgan and Harper go way back. In 2004, Encana gave Harper's leadership campaign $25,000, and Harper tried to appoint Morgan as public appointment commissioner ..."

Maher: Tories drop accusatory tone on Gateway pipeline
Fracking, Shale Gas and Children's Health: Toxins and Vulnerable Populations

When it comes to exposure to hazardous chemicals, children are not just little adults. “Children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards,” states the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, a subcommittee of the American Pediatric Society. “They eat, drink and breathe more than adults on a pound for pound basis.”(1) This means children are proportionally more exposed to toxins in air, water and food.

In areas of unconventional gas development, children are exposed to multiple industrial toxins, through air, and potentially through water and soil. Yet children’s health remains one of the many unexamined issues of this contentious industry.
Drilling for oil in the Gulf of St. Lawrence without a clue

Buried within the more than 400 pages of this spring’s federal omnibus budget bill is an invitation for resource companies to open a new frontier in Canadian oil: the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The gulf, which touches the coastlines of Canada’s five easternmost provinces, is the world’s largest estuary. It’s home to more than 2,000 species of marine wildlife — an ecosystem integral to the health of our Atlantic and Great Lakes fisheries.

Sign-up and get involved...