Pipeline update

Thank you for your opposition to the new Enbridge fracked gas pipeline across rural Hamilton! There has been important momentum in the last few weeks, and we hope that will continue.

If you live in the Hamilton area, and wish to become actively part of the committee working to stop it, please email don.mclean@cogeco.ca.

You can also do more by asking your friends to sign the on-line petition at https://www.change.org/p/ontario-energy-board-stop-the-enbridge-fracked-gas-pipeline-in-hamilton-ontario. And you will likely want to attend the Feb 13 (this Thursday) free public talk by Jack Gibbons at the Hamilton Central Library starting at 7 pm. Jack is the Chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance which is also opposing the Hamilton pipeline. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Hamilton 350 Committee.

Many individuals and organizations have written to the Ontario Energy Board urging it to include climatic impacts in its pipeline hearings. Some of those letters are posted on the OEB website at http://www.rds.oeb.ca/HPECMWebDrawer/Record?q=CaseNumber%3DEB-2019-0159&sortBy=recRegisteredOn-&pageSize=400 along with other submissions and documents. We know many more letters have been submitted but have not yet appeared on this site. You may want to monitor it.

The registered intervenors in the hearings have also posted submissions, usually by their lawyers, and are adopting conflicting positions on the climate issue. Groups like the Ontario Power Producers and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters are opposing inclusion of climatic matters. So is a submission by STAFF of the OEB (the Board is the decision-maker).

Other groups like the Green Energy Coalition (representing several groups including the Hamilton 350 Committee) and Environmental Defence support examination of the climatic consequences of Enbridge pipeline. So does a particularly compelling submission by the School Energy Coalition. The City of Hamilton submissions are also posted on the website as well as comments of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

​Apologies to Councillor Maria Pearson who DID participate in council’s vote on Friday. We mistakenly credited Chad Collins with participating in city council’s vote on Friday on the Enbridge fracked gas pipeline. Collins was there for part of the day, but left before the vote. Pearson stayed and voted.