[R-G] Alaska lobbyists use stereotypes to push agenda

[Macdonald Stainsby]

Ive had it suggested to me and I've repeated: The "struggle" over
who/how/where "the" pipeline should be built for natural gas in the north
is a smokescreen so the two powerful ecnomic projects can use each other
to extract more concessions from their respect governments, and steamroll
the  nations they wish to operate on top of. Since both pipelines will be
to seperate locations of gas deposits, and both are majority American
owned, and only one is being used by a majority American corporation to
extract tar sand "petrol", etc... this is in reality, two forces for the
same profit margins. Any Alaskan pipelines will, just like the ones
through the Deh Cho/Mackenzie Valley, as a matter of geography will have
to snake through Canadian land. However, it should be noted that thanks to
Trudeau's energy policy of a few years back, 30% of gas/energy revenues
"south of 60" go to the federal government, while only 4% in the NWT,
Nunavut and Yukon do. Thus, it could easily be a better deal fr American
corporations to plunder the norh and skip BC entirely.

further to all of this, a planned final connection to the pipeline route
was announced a little over a month ago, from Fort MacMurray in north
Alberta, across indigenous nation sovereign lands, through central BC to a
possible new port that could serve as a new Alaskan BC joint energy
harbour, on the central coast of what they call British Columbia. If that
gets a "go ahead", it will decimate yet more land and render disputes
about how to move energy from Alaska south redunant.

(short note on new pipeline below first article)

Macdonald


Alaska lobbyists use stereotypes to push agenda

Last updated Oct 12 2005 08:56 AM CDT
CBC News

http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=alaska-anti-canada-12102005

A new series of anti-Canadian ads are airing on Alaska television this week.

The ads were created by the All-Alaska Alliance, which promotes an
American-only approach to building a new natural gas pipeline, with no
Canadian participation.

The ads depict a pair of Canadians drinking beer in a bar "sometime in the
future" and celebrating the fact they have jobs because of Governor Frank
Murkowski's proposal for a natural gas pipeline that would follow the
Alaska Highway through this country to the Lower 48.

"Murkowski's plan created a bunch of jobs
 for Canada, eh!" the pair
gloat. "Totally."

The characters in the ads portray a number of Canadian stereotypes
including eating poutine and overusing the expression "eh."

Lori Brackes, the executive director of the All-Alaska Alliance, says her
group is advocating for an Alaska-only pipeline solution.

The alliance bankrolled the ad campaign.

"I hope Canadians would not hold it against us, if we look out for our
own, the natural gas in Alaska belongs to Alaskans and therefore we should
do everything we can to derive the maximum benefit from it and that's what
we're trying to do," she says.

Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie has not seen the ads yet and was not available
for comment.

Fentie and Governor Murkowski have publicly committed to working together
to build an Alaska Highway pipeline.
----
This closes the ring on the destruction of Dene Land, environmental
devastation in Denendeh & separately (but connected) north "Alberta" with
the disastrous tar sands oil project near Fort MacMurray, and now through
unceded lands in "BC". It's all connected, just follow the pipelines...

Macdonald

http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=community/fort&articleID=2008353

Oil pipeline proposed near FSJ

      A proposed pipeline running from Edmonton to a new marine terminal
on the West Coast would run just south of Fort St. James.

      Company officials from Enbridge Inc. were unable to give the Courier
details about how close the pipeline would be to the town by press
time.

      The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) has raised some concerns
about the pipeline.

      "The Chiefs are unanimous in their decision to call on Patrick
Daniel, Enbridge president and chief executive officer, to forego
any studies this field season unless the company is willing to
complete negotiations with the tribal council on a statement of
understanding," Tribal Chief Harry Pierre said in a press release.

      CSTC wants a Statement of Understanding in place with Enbridge that
will govern all preliminary activities as they relate to their
interests, including other matters important to an emerging
relationship with the company, the press release went on.

      "Although we certainly respect First Nations, at the same time all
the land we're accessing is Crown land," says Enbridge official
D'Arcy Levesque.

      Levesque says the company has begun very preliminary field studies.
"We're gathering data to determine the best possible route," he
said.

      District of Fort St. James mayor Jim Togyi is reserving his judgment
on the pipeline.

      "I can't comment until I know what it's about."

      Togyi says the company readily agreed to come talk to council and
hopes it will happen sometime early in September.

      Levesque, vice-president for public and government affairs at
Enbridge, says the company has been planning the pipeline for quite
a few years.

      "We're committed to opening secondary markets for Canada's
oilsands," Levesque said.

      The oilsands in Alberta's north are expected to dramatically
increase their output in the next five years.

      The pipeline would deliver oil to tankers on the coast and bring
condensate - used to dilute heavy oil - to Edmonton.

      Both pipes would be buried Levesque said.

      Enbridge is working to ensure communities would benefit from the
pipeline.

      He said 2,000 temporary jobs would be created during the project,
and the company would work to involve local communities.





--
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada/
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope.
--Brecht.

--
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada/
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope.
--Brecht.