http://www.vancouversun.com/news/There+will+pipeline/10122968/story.html
The Nak’azdli are fiercely opposed to a proposed oil/natural gas pipeline through their territory commissioned by Canadian energy giant Enbridge. This is no novel headline: native groups often align strongly against industrial development within their own lands, and with good reason. Living in a culture deeply connected to the land that they and their ancestors have lived on for centuries, it goes without saying that environmental degradation in the name of progress upon First Nations sovereign land is always going to be an area of conflict. However, there is a point where compromise is necessary, especially within some of the more marginalized reserve communities. In the case of Embridge, the company is offering a significant equity stake in the profits from the pipeline for the community, which could seriously benefit from these profits and reinvest them in the community to the benefit of all members. The issue I have with the Nak’azdli opposition to the project is not one of disrespect to the tribe’s sovereignty: these lands have been their ancestral territory for centuries and I believe that Embridge, as well as the Canadian government that approved the Northern Gateway pipeline should respect that. However, this article makes clear that the Nak’azdli’s opposition is not rooted in maintaining their sovereignty, nor really an overarching environmental argument; it is because they wish to preserve a specific part of their territory, the waterways which they fish, and a part of their territory that the Embridge pipelines should pose no significant threat to. Again, wishing to preserve their fishing territories is a noble cause for the Nak’azdli, however given the data on how unlikely an oil spill is (0.06% chance per year for a major rupture), and the fact that nowhere does the article mention that the mere development of the pipeline poses a risk to their food supply, the Nak’azdli are choosing the wrong reason to oppose a pipeline that, while contributing to overall environmental degradation, could provide serious economic benefits to their community.
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http://www.vancouversun.com/news/There+will+pipeline/10122968/story.html