To the editor:
It’s a matter of days before the Harper government makes its decision on the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Anti-pipeline protesters have been concentrating on the environmental impact but what the government doesn’t want us to know is that foreign countries plan to exploit our energy resources, harming our economy and our pockets.
What should be the most important concern, is that gas prices will rise.
When Embridge tells us the price of crude will be higher when sold overseas, they neglect to mention that we will pay more for our domestic oil. Gas prices will continue to rise for the next 30 years.
In addition to paying higher oil prices, we are also losing an opportunity to add value and create meaningful jobs in Canada. Economically, Canada would gain much more if oil was refined in Canada. The good jobs created by oil are being shipped down the pipeline along with the revenues Canada could get from refining the oil in Canada.
Then there’s the expense of the condensate Canada imports to mix with the thick unrefined oil to get it to flow through the pipelines. Canada can’t produce enough so it has to import it, creating dependence on foreign imports of condensate. The Northern Gateway pipeline is twinned so that condensate comes into Canada while crude is exported.
The reason this is happening? A few large corporations from overseas own most oil companies They want our crude oil so that they can refine it with cheap labour and fewer environmental regulations overseas.
Instead of a strong energy policy that will benefit our economy, we are getting pipelines and higher gas prices, so foreign owned companies can benefit from our valuable resources.
This is a fraction of the story that big oil companies and government don’t want us to know. To listen to the full story go: www.robynallan.com.
Julia Hargreaves,
West Kelowna
