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If a petroleum refinery was a beating heart, transmission pipelines would be the veins bringing blood to and from. Truth is that pipelines are the lifeblood of our modern society, as they are the mechanism that allows us to ship oil and natural gas safely and effectively which is used for heating our homes to making petrochemical products to fueling our vehicles and everything in between.

In Canada, there’s a vast network of pipelines that transport millions of litres of oil and gas under ground every single day. Pipelines are often misunderstood, mistaken as being dangerous or harmful to the environment in every aspect. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here’s a few reasons why pipelines are good for the environment, and why you should consider being supportive of projects in Canada such as the Trans Mountain Expansion and Coastal GasLink.

Wendy Mesley interviews Vivian Krause and Tzeporah Berman – Jan 20th, 2019

The Weekly with Wendy Mesley (CBC TV Jan. 20th, 2019) opens with a short video discussing the history of the Rockefeller oil empire, and its eventual endowment of the philanthropic – and many would say activist -- Rockefeller Brothers Fund Inc., an instrumental leadership group and co-founder of the anti-oil sands effort known as the Tar Sands Campaign.

Mesley’s reporting quickly turns to a short overview of the tax returns uncovered by researcher and writer Vivian Krause who has tracked large sums of US dollars as they move from American philanthropic and activist foundations to environmental groups in Canada. 

Noted in these tax returns are specific references to the tar sands campaign and efforts to oppose oil sands and pipeline construction.

NOTE: The time-stamp references in this viewers guide are keyed to the following clip:

CBC TV The Weekly: The American Money Behind the Anti-Pipeline Fight

@CanadaAction and @OilSandsAction on Twitter are two accounts dedicated to a balanced, honest and factual conversation about Canada's natural resource industries.

Don't have a Twitter account? No problem! Not many people do, but we still want to share the information we post concerning Canada's natural resource industries and those abroad with you!

Below you'll find all retweets by Canada Action throughout the month of January 2019. If you're looking to be up-to-date on developments regarding Canada's natural resource sectors and those around the world (and how Canada competes), these retweets will help to get you caught up to speed.

@OilSandsAction and @CanadaAction on Twitter keeps you up-to-date with what's happening in Canada's natural resource industries and those around the world.

We are a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to a balanced, factual and honest conversation about Canada's natural resource sectors at home and how they compete with those in nations around the world.

The world needs more Canadian natural resources! Our country benefits and so does the global environment because we are one of the most transparent, regulated and environmentally-friendly natural resource producers around!

Below are all retweets by Oil Sands Action throughout January of 2019. If you're unfamiliar with the current state of affairs when it comes to pipelines, oil and gas and other natural resource industries in Canada and abroad, these tweets will get you caught up quickly.

So, what does the notorious "tar sands" in Canada look like? You'd be surprised, especially considering the only photos we see in media nowadays are those of open mines. But just a small percent of the oil sands land area has been disturbed because of mining operations, so why don't we ever see an in-situ lease to portray the oil sands?

Of course an open mine is going to look apocalyptic from an environmental perspective, as would any open mine for any industry (Google lithium or copper mines as an example). But the whole story is not being told. A very small area of the oil sands in Alberta can be extracted from surface mining operations. The facts:

• Only 20% of the Alberta oil sands is mineable (by surface area)
• The remaining 80% of oil is too deep and can only be extracted using in-situ methods with minimal land disturbance
• Oil sands surface area: 142,000 km2
• Mineable oil sands area cleared or disturbed: 767 km2
• That's 0.5% of oil sands total surface area disturbed (as of Dec 31, 2017)

Below are several pictures showing you just exactly what the oil sands looks like in Canada including in-situ operations (like steam-assisted gravity drainage), mining operations and reclaimed oil sands land. Also see:

• 20+ Photos of Reclaimed Oil Sands

The answer is yes! All 20 First Nations along the Coastal GasLink pipeline route have signed benefit agreements with TransCanada. Furthermore, a majority of First Nations in northern British Columbia support both the Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada projects.

• $40 Billion LNG Canada Project Approved by Investors
  

Most of the involved BC First Nations not only have experienced meaningful and bilateral consultations with Coastal GasLink, but see the project as a way out of widespread poverty within their communities. But don’t take our word for it.

Here’s several quotes from First Nations leaders, community members and representatives on their support for Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada. Also see:

• 3 Reasons why Canada Needs BC LNG
• 3 Reasons Why BC LNG Matters to First Nations
• First Nations Chiefs Show Support for Trans Mountain Expansion

In 2013, the National Energy Board (NEB) of Canada approved Kinder Morgan’s proposal to twin the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline. Since then, what has transpired is a fiasco that has led to delay after delay, time and time again.

Lots of uncertainty over government policies among other things at work led Kinder Morgan to sell the pipeline to the federal government for $4.5 billion in the spring of 2018 and withdraw its capital from Canada all together shortly after.

A few months later, a ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal in August of 2018 overturned the government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. Now, the project is on hold for an indeterminate amount of time.

More delays for a critical piece of energy infrastructure that will contribute to Canada’s economic wealth and prosperity for years to come...

Canada's natural resource industries (mining and minerals, forestry, energy) are the backbone of its prosperity. The forestry sector alone accounts for a considerable amount of the national gross domestic product (1.6%) and mass employment across the country (over 230,000 jobs in 2017).

With the third largest forested area in the world (next to only Russia and Brazil), Canada’s forests are without a doubt a critical part of its economy. To preserve them, federal law requires any harvested public lands to be replanted.

This is a prime example of Canada’s commitment to being a responsible environmental steward. In 2014 alone, more than 540 million seedlings were planted nationwide. Many of these were to replace groves cut down by the industry...

Over the past decade the failure of various levels of Canadian governments to get pipelines built has ignited debate on a very important question:

Which is a safer means to transport oil to market? Is it pipelines, or trains / rail cars via railways?

Canada's natural resource industries are an extremely important part of our national economy. Constituting 17% of the total national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 and employing more than 2 million people nationwide, they are a major source of wealth and prosperity for all of Canada.

It's important that we as Canadians show our support for our natural resource industries as much as we can. One way to do that is to get out on social media and spread informative articles that dispel lots of misinformation that's currently out there!

With that in mind, we invite you to check us out and join the movement on Twitter! Every voice counts in the battle for Canada's economic future and prosperity!

Below are all the retweets by Canada Action throughout December 2018. If you're unfamiliar with the current state of affairs when it comes to pipelines, oil and gas and other natural resource industries in Canada, these will get you caught up very quickly.

3 Things You Can Do to Join the Movement @ Canada Action