It’s true that the Via Verde will only impact Puerto Rico. But what is happening and what could potentially happen here have some parallels to Alberta and its precious energy sector.
Unlike Alberta, Puerto Rico has no mineral, oil or gas deposits of its own which means it has to import everything. Where the similarities come into view is how the two governments are seemingly willing to put the economic factor before the environmental one and the power of the people to make themselves heard.
Via Verde has come to a standstill at the federal level in the United States due to a lack of environmental information that is essential in determining whether or not the project will be approved.
However, there is a lot of money involved in this project and the short-term benefits are huge for those who stand to profit from them. Regarding water specifically, one only has to look at previous posts on this blog to see how dangerous this pipeline could be to that important resource.
“What we have here is an ethical issue … one has to care for the environment and the environment is a natural and social entity. And many people forget one of the two aspects of that entity,” said Neftali Garcia Martinez.
It’s a well-known fact that a significant portion of Alberta’s economy revolves around the production and exportation of oil and gas, but two major pipeline proposals are facing the same environmental debate there as Via Verde. And for good reason.
Alberta already has several pipelines that criss-cross the province. On April 29, Alberta recorded its largest ever oil spill since 1975, when 4.5 million litres of crude oil leaked from a broken pipeline. It has contaminated wetlands and seasonal water bodies and experts say it will take years to clean up, especially if the oil leaks into the ground water system. Complete restoration is not an option.
Last summer a study by University of Alberta biologist David Schindler released data that showed elevated levels of toxins in the Athabasca River that were traced back to oilsands industry. The study greatly contradicted the claim by the government that industry in the area hadn’t affected water quality at all.
A year later, the panel selected to compare government information with Schindler’s study concluded that the oilsands are indeed contaminating the river. It also claimed that the government monitoring programs weren’t even trying to determine if industry was causing pollution in the river.
From the links above, it should be clear to the reader that both governments are slow to examine and produce information that could hamper the economic benefits of these projects and just as slow to do much about them when something is produced.
But people can be the wheels of change.
The citizens of Puerto Rico have voiced their opposition to Via Verde so vehemently that the government has been forced to slow down its progress. The pipeline is making news in the United States and has been raised in Congress.
The ruckus caused by Schindler’s report in Alberta forced the government to take a serious look at their water monitoring systems and propose changes. The recent Rainbow pipeline leak is making waves about the condition of Alberta’s aging pipeline system and what needs to be done there. People continue to call for stricter regulation of old natural gas wells to stop the contamination of their drinking water.
In both countries, all this has come about because the people feel strongly about their water, land, and air quality; how these projects have affected it and will continue to do so. This passion has to continue in order to protect our resources, especially water.
“The proposal will be stopped because of the knowledge and the community and the voice of multiple people doing different activities and events,” said Arturo Massol Deya. “That’s actually the power that the people have, to stop bad governments and propose better alternatives … this is actual community power.”
“We have to believe in our selves, that our reality can be changed if there is a collective engagement of people and communities and sectors in pushing alternatives for development and I think that’s the lesson that should transpire from all of this.”
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