After reading a letter titled “Pipeline protest misses the mark,” I felt that a response was appropriate.
The article implied that there are not many oil pipeline ruptures in Alberta. On the contrary. A search reveals information that between 1990 and 2005, there have been 4,769 oil pipeline spills in Alberta, according to the Alberta Utilities Board.
Alberta has had a long and troubled history of oil spills since the 1970s.
In May 2007, there was a spill of 4.5 million litres of oil near Peace River. In 2008, 3,000 barrels of oil contaminated Jackson Creek, a tributary of the Red Deer River. In August 2000, a spill went into the Pine River, which is upstream from Chetwynd, B.C., and there was a spill in May 1977 of 175,000 gallons of oil.
The letter had a point that jobs are created in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. However, these jobs are sending people to camps in isolated locations in northern areas of Canada where people do not want to live. It is not a great lifestyle and not good for young families.
A solution could be to move people into pure electric vehicles.
Vernon is receiving assistance from the provincial government to install two electric car-charging stations. B.C.’s environment minister, Terry Lake, owns an electric vehicle and he is planning to have many charging stations in B.C.
Almost every car manufacturer has electric cars either already to market or at least plans for production in the near future. Electric vehicles do not need pipelines.
Hurricane Sandy was a big wake-up call for what we can expect in the future if we don’t stop emitting greenhouse gases.
Alternative energy jobs could be established right here in the North Okanagan where most people prefer to live and work.
Terry Dyck
Vernon
