Vancouver, 16 October 2013 – Sixteen Greenpeace activists have targeted the loading dock at Kinder Morgan’s tar sands pipeline terminus in Metro Vancouver in an early morning protest.
Two activists are now locked to the dock’s oil pumping mechanism. Their message: “Harper: No Tar Sands Pipelines.” Another group of activists are currently painting: “Stop the Tar Sands“ on one of Kinder Morgan’s storage tanks.
“We’re here to remind Prime Minister Harper and Premier Clark that British Columbians do not want tar sands pipelines and hundreds of super tankers threatening B.C.’s pristine coast,” said Mike Hudema, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Canada.
The protest is in response to the Harper government’s renewed efforts to push two tar sands pipelines through British Columbia as well as pipelines to the U.S. and through eastern Canada and Quebec. Both Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion project to Vancouver and Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline are opposed in B.C. by 130 First Nations, as well as environmental and other groups.
“With every extra tanker or kilometer of pipeline, we increase the risk of an accident that would be catastrophic to the coast and our communities,” said Hudema. “On the day of the throne speech, we’re telling Prime Minister Harper to say no to tar sands expansion and yes to a green energy future.”
The action reflects Greenpeace’s continuing opposition to energy projects that pose the greatest threat to the world’s climate.
“The tar sands and Arctic drilling represent the ugliest face of our global oil addiction,” said Hudema. “Greenpeace protests these dangerous oil projects whether they are in B.C. or north of Russia. Harper and other political leaders need to get the message it’s time to end our addiction to oil and build the green energy revolution we need.”
The activists in today’s protest wore armbands with “Arctic 30” printed on them. It’s in support of the 30 people detained by Russian authorities after two Greenpeace activists, in a peaceful protest, tried climbing onto an oil drilling platform in international waters in the Arctic, near Russia.
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For more information:
Peter Louwe, Media Relations (778) 228-5404 (currently at Cates Park, North Vancouver)
Notes:
Photos and video b-roll will soon be available at: http://www.greenpeace.ca/images