Today the Manitoba Energy justice Coalition released a report detailing the legal and political options the Government of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg have to protect citizens from the risks of the Energy East pipeline proposal.

This report explores additional regulatory and public intervention options, external to the National Energy Board review, that are available at the subnational level for assessing the Energy East pipeline project. The report is especially concerned with climate and environmental impact, and the threat to the Winnipeg aqueduct. Based on the research in this report, MEJC recommends:

• Move the pipeline away from the Winnipeg aqueduct, other drinking water sources, and natural gas lines
• Request the PUB to open an investigation into the safety of the Winnipeg aqueduct
• Request the Clean Environment Commission under its own authority to initiate an investigation into the implications of Energy East
• Carry out public education through the media of hearings (during the CEC and PUB assessments), open houses, pamphlets and flyers at political offices, and press statements.

The Report can be found Here.

A new scientific report released today by our alliance of environmental, community, and religious groups shows that TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline would directly threaten the drinking water of more than 850,000 Manitobans, including the entire population of Winnipeg.

The report shows that every township in Manitoba has roads with ditches that channel water into streams or drains constructed around Winnipeg and other municipalities. This means that if the Energy East pipeline ruptured (the report documents TransCanada’s frequent pipeline failures), closing the valve on a major water crossing would not necessarily be effective as a rupture on even a minor water crossing could drain into waterways Manitobans depend on for water. Municipal water supplies would thus be impacted.