Friends of the Earth U.S. Condemns Canadian Court’s Approval of Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline Expansion
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Canadian Federal Court of Appeals announced today that it has rejected the legal case by Tribes and First Nations opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline, giving final approval for the tar sands pipeline expansion project to move forward, despite widespread opposition to the pipeline on both sides of the border.
The Trans Mountain expansion would bring 890,000 barrels of crude oil per day across Canada and out through the shared Salish Sea waters of the Northwest. It is expected to result in a 700 percent increase in oil tankers originating from the Westridge Marine Terminal in British Columbia, significantly increasing vessel traffic in the Salish Sea, imperiling the endangered Southern Resident orca whales and increasing the risk of a catastrophic oil spill.
In response to today’s announcement, Marcie Keever, oceans and vessels program director with Friends of the Earth U.S., issued the following statement:
Today’s decision by the Appeals Court of Canada and the Trudeau government is a gift to Big Oil. The Trudeau administration cannot claim to be a steward of the environment and a friend to indigenous peoples while allowing this polluting project to move forward.
The expansion condemns the endangered southern resident killer whale to extinction, jeopardizes the safety of the environment and tramples over the rights of coastal and indigenous communities. We will continue to fight to stop the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and put people and our environment over profits.
Expert contact: Marcie Keever, (415) 999-3992, [email protected]
Communications contact: Aisha Dukule, (202) 893-3502, [email protected]