|
Canadian Energy Union Says Canada Ripped Off at the Expense of America
|
Can't Post
|
|
Canada's largest union of energy workers joins with the Alberta Federation of Labour while simultaneously filing a motion with the National Energy Board to delay construction of a pipeline to the States so certain questions about job creation and resource development can be addressed.
Energy and Paperworkers Union President Dave Coles. "We're shipping our natural resources down to the U.S. so they can create upgraded oil products. Meanwhile, we're missing out on the creation of 18,000 good Canadian jobs, and putting our gas supply at risk in the process!"
The entire oil and gas industry is being restructured with the construction of the Keystone pipeline, and neither the National Energy Board, nor the provincial or federal governments understand the implications for oil and gas supply, jobs, the environment and more.
Independent research firm Informetrica suggests that as many 18,000 jobs are being sacrificed because the proposed Keystone Pipeline will be used to export unprocessed bitumen -- rather than upgraded oil products -- to U.S. refineries.
Millions of barrels per day of diluted unprocessed bitumen may be pumped south to U.S. upgraders, refineries and chemical producers. This new source of oil will create thousands of jobs in the U.S., as refineries are expanded to deal with this new source of product. As well, several billions ofdollars in building and upgrading facilities to handle the bitumen will be spent in the U.S. instead of Canada.
To the lobby, CEP's evidence has been largely ignored by the NEB, though it has recently requested further information on the union's research, as has the oil lobby itself. The intervention is part of CEP's on-going attempts to force the NEB to recognize value-added jobs, the environment and social issues in determining the public interest when it comes to the development of the Alberta Oil Sands.
The 150,000-member CEP represents over 35,000 workers in the oil, gas and chemical industry in Ontario, Alberta and several other provinces.
|
econmod
Broker
/ Moderator
May 21, 2007, 3:10 PM
Post #1 of 3
(498 views)
|
