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5 November, 2007
The Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada has appealed to Canada’s Federal Cabinet the recommendations made by the National Energy Board (NEB) that would allow construction of the 2,970-kilometre Keystone Pipeline from the province of Alberta to the US.
The proposed pipeline would increase Canadian exports of crude oil from the rich Alberta tar sands three-fold, the CEP said. The pipeline’s builder, energy company TransCanada Corp., recently applied to the NEB for further pumping capacity to increase export volume from the planed 435,000 barrels-per-day to 590,000 bpd.
The Ottawa-based ICEM affiliate has strongly asserted throughout the Keystone approval process, as well as with other crude oil pipelines destined to the US, that allowing such exports is directly contrary to the creation of good, sustainable refinery jobs in Canada.
In a study issued earlier this year, the CEP said 18,000 jobs would be lost if Keystone were allowed to export raw crude oil across Canadian borders. Keystone is a US$5.2 billion pipeline project intended to bring unprocessed bitumen from Alberta’s tar sands to US refining points in Wood River and Patoka, the US state of Illinois, and to Cushing, Oklahoma.
The CEP is demanding that Canada’s Federal Parliament set aside the NEB’s recommendations, and refer the issue to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources.
“We think parliamentarians and the public need to have the chance to examine this pipeline proposal in the overall good of the country and of Canadians,” said CEP President Dave Coles. The CEP is insisting that the Natural Resources Committee conduct full hearings on the pipeline deal, and take up transparency issues regarding the NEB as well.
CEP President Dave Coles
TransCanada is just now finalising ownership of the pipeline, which has already seen high cost overruns. ConocoPhillips has an option coming soon to purchase a 50% equity stake in the pipeline. In the US, the project also includes conversion of an existing 864-kilometre pipeline from natural gas to crude oil service.
CEP represents 35,000 workers in Canada’s oil, gas, and chemicals sectors. Overall, the union numbers 150,000 members.