Ontario Climate Hawks Join City Council to Oppose Fracked Gas Pipeline Through Hamilton [Sign-On]

The City of Hamilton and Ontario climate organizations are mobilizing against a 10-kilometre pipeline that would carry fracked gas from the United States and increase the province’s reliance on carbon-heavy natural gas power plants.

Hamilton City Council, the Hamilton Conservation Authority, the Green Party of Ontario, Toronto-based Environmental Defence, and Hamilton 350 are all raising flags about the C$206-million project through rural Flamborough, the Hamilton Spectator reported last month. The Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) is out with a petition opposing the pipeline.

“The plan by Enbridge Gas to build a huge gas pipeline through a provincially significant wetland in Hamilton must be stopped,” the petition states. “This pipeline will be used to import fracked gas into Ontario in order to increase the output of our polluting gas-fired power plants by more than 300%. This will be damaging to our climate and is unnecessary.”

OCAA adds that, “by contracting for low-cost water power from Quebec, and by investing in energy efficiency and cost-effective, made-in-Ontario green energy, Ontario can keep its lights on without increasing its greenhouse gas pollution.”

“Tell your MPP to say no to the new giant Hamilton pipeline and keep American fracked gas out of our natural areas!” Environmental Defence said, in a Facebook ad referring to the protected Beverly swamp.

Earlier this month, local city councillors asked the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) “to specifically consider climate change impacts—and Hamilton’s own carbon-cutting goals,” in its ruling on the application from Enbridge Gas. “That council vote followed a Hamilton Conservation Authority decision a day earlier to oppose an Enbridge easement request to run the pipeline through conservation lands—at least until after a peer-reviewed ecological study is done,” the Spectator wrote.

“We’ve declared a climate emergency,” said Councillor Brad Clark. “It’s important to stress to the board that the climate impact from this project be considered.”

Enbridge maintained the pipeline would follow an existing corridor, while creating jobs and new tax revenue for the city. Spokesperson Keith Boulton said gas is cleaner-burning than other fossil fuels [before factoring in massive methane releases from fracking fields—Ed.] and provides ‘a great balance between energy reliability, affordability, and the environment’.”