Two speakers from the United States, sponsored by environmental groups, are touring northern B.C. this month to deliver information related to Enbridge's pipelines south of the border.
The speaker's tour, which will stop in eight communities in northern B.C., will kick off in Prince George this coming Monday at 7 p.m. at UNBC's Canfor Theatre.
The speakers include Battle Creek, Mich.- resident Beth Wallace who works with the National Wildlife Federation, and Erin O'Brien, who works with the Wisconsin Wetlands Association.
Wallace will give her perspective of Enbridge's pipeline spill into the Kalamazoo River this past summer, while O'Brien will give an overview of Wisconsin's experience with Enbridge's 2007 construction of an oil pipeline.
The remaining series of talks take place west of Prince George, and include stops in Vanderhoof, Houston, Burns Lake, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert and Kitimat.
Enbridge's U.S. subsidiary suffered a major spill in Michigan in July which leaked an estimated three million litres of oil, some of it into the Kalamazoo River, sparking a massive clean-up effort.
Earlier, Enbridge also faced more than than 500 violations included clearing wetland areas, placing soil in wetlands and leaving construction debris in wetlands.
The company agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle claims it broke numerous state environmental laws during construction of its Southern Access pipeline in 2007 and 2008.
The oil spill in Michigan - one of the largest in the region - reiterated concerns from groups opposed to the massive Northern Gateway project in northern B.C. The most vocal opponents of the pipeline have been First Nations and environmental groups, which say the risks of a spill are not worth any potential economic benefits from the project.
Enbridge says the pipeline will be built to the highest safety standards, as well as touting the jobs the project will create.
The 1,170-km pipeline from Edmonton to Kitimat, which will pass just north of Prince George, is meant to open a new market for Alberta oil sands crude in Asia.
Calgary-based Enbridge's Northern Gateway project from Edmonton to Kitimat is just beginning a two-year review by a three-person federal panel. If the project gets regulatory approval, and financing, Enbridge expects the pipeline could be complete in 2016.
The speakers' tour, is being sponsored by the Friends of Wild Salmon, the Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance, Friends of Morice Bulkley, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Northwest Watch and the Prince Rupert Environmental Society.
