Local Chardonnay sippers and Birkenstock trippers would have us believe that the end of days are near if the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is built.
Yet, these same eco-warriors get on jet planes and drive their 4x4 SUVs or other gasoline powered vehicles daily up, down and around our mountainous terrain. From where do they think the gasoline for their vehicles comes? Must be a magical mystery drop and not hauled in by diesel powered tanker trucks. Avert your eyes!
Recently a caravan travelled from the Kootenays to Kitimat to protest the proposed Enbridge pipeline. In my mind’s eye, I saw a long caravan of Flintstone mobiles “yabbadabbadoo-ing” their way to Kitimat using just foot power, never stopping to eat at restaurants whose supplies were brought there by diesel truck. True to form, they would bring all locally grown produce with them in their vehicles. Ya, sure.
Most likely, however, they travelled by gasoline powered air conditioned vehicles, stopping to gas up and eat their meals in restaurants, staying at local air-conditioned motels along the way.
They shop in stores that sell goods delivered by diesel trucks but somehow are against getting bitumen to refineries, whether in the US or China. Those goods they buy come from China; try finding made in the Kootenays reliable goods. A few may be there but not in any sustainable quantity.
For them, the goods would have to be made in a cooperative, at taxpayers’ expense. They really do believe in this circle approach. It works for communist China they explain.
Sometimes water mains break, cars and airplanes crash. Do we stop building water pipelines? Do we stop driving cars or taking airplanes? Of course not.
Instead, why not insist on better safety measures for pipeline building, monitoring, spill prevention and effective remedial measures and tough sanctions for spills?
So why do eco-warriors want to scrap a pipeline or cripple the Canadian oil and gas industry? It’s just another cause for them even if it’s based on their own hypocrisy.
Their motto is “just say no”. It’s easier and requires no thinking; just fear-mongering and votes.
If our local NDP representatives are really concerned about environmental issues, why aren’t they demanding remedies to the naturally occurring high concentrations of toxic radon gas in their own back yards?
Rose Calderon
Trail