Between the Lines radio news story Interview with Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, conducted by Melinda Tuhus On Jan. 26, hundreds of protesters are expected to converge in Portland, Maine, for what’s being billed as the largest tar sands protest in the Northeast. The impetus is what organizers Read More
Tar Sands Oil
Tar sands oil is the dirtiest and most climate-destructive form of oil in the world. When it spills, it is almost impossible to clean up. There was a proposal to bring tar sands oil through an existing nearly 70-year-old pipeline in Maine. It crosses some of Maine’s most pristine watersheds and ends at Casco Bay. This plan would have put our lakes, rivers, and coastal waters at risk, and threatened communities and drinking water from Sebago Lake along its path. NRCM was the first organization to bring the threat of tar sands to the public’s attention in Maine in 2009, and was a leader on this issue statewide.
Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet and is a growing threat in Maine and the Northeast. Extracted from huge open-pit mines in Alberta, Canada, tar sands oil is 20% more carbon intensive than conventional crude oil.
Sending tar sands crude oil to Maine would have required reversing an existing pipeline owned by Portland Montreal Pipe Line, a pipeline that passes next to Sebago Lake, the drinking water supply for more than 15% of Maine people. It would have endangered Casco Bay and our fishing and lobster industries. Many Maine cities and towns passed resolutions in opposition to transporting tar sands oil through their communities, and South Portland passed the Clear Skies Ordinance to protect their community.
Casco Passes Tar Sands Resolution
KeepMECurrent.com news story CASCO —Casco residents voted Saturday to pass a municipal resolution stating opposition to sending tar sands oil through Exxon Mobil’s Portland-Montreal Pipeline, making it the first Maine town to publicly and officially oppose the proposal, said Judy Berk, spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The environmental group says the 62-year-old Read More
Casco is Maine’s First Town to Pass Resolution Opposing Tar Sands Oil Transportation Through State
by Ramona Du Houx Maine Insights news story “The people of Casco have spoken,” said Casco select board chair Mary Fernandes. “We feel as a town that transporting tar sands oil through the Portland-Montreal pipeline poses unpredictable risks to the health, safety, natural resources, property and economic welfare of Casco residents.” Casco residents voted on Read More
Casco is First Maine Town to Pass Resolution Opposing Sending Tar Sands Oil Through Town and Region
NRCM news release Casco, ME — Casco residents voted today to pass a municipal resolution stating opposition to sending tar sands oil through Exxon Mobil’s Portland-Montreal Pipeline, making it the first Maine town to publicly and officially oppose the proposal. The 62-year-old pipeline, which stretches 236 miles from Montreal to South Portland, is being considered Read More
Maine Officials Preparing for Tar Sands Oil Spill
Response to today’s Oil Sands Spill Training Workshop in Portland, ME NRCM Press Release “We commend the officials at the EPA, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), U.S. Coast Guard, and others who have organized today’s tar sands training in Portland[1]. Today’s training is focused on preparing for tar sands oil spills because they know Read More
Pipeline Application Means “Dirtiest Oil on the Planet” is Headed to New England’s Doorstep
Groups call on U.S. State Department to require full environmental review of cross-border tar sands pipeline proposal, before it is too late Press Release Canada’s mega-oil pipeline company Enbridge filed an application today to move forward on the reversal of its Line 9 pipeline, likely bringing tar sands oil eastward to Montreal. If approved, this would Read More
Maine Company, Pipeline Make ‘Dirty Dozen’ Polluters List
Casella Waste Management has a long history in Maine, while a tar sands pipeline has yet to establish one. by North Cairn, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story An environmental group has targeted what it considers Maine’s two most serious environmental threats in its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of polluters in New England. One Read More
ExxonMobil is Actually Majority Owner of Maine Pipeline and Behind Plan to Transport Dangerous Tar Sands
Pipeline companies lobby tar sands plan behind closed doors while denying their intention NRCM, NWF, NRDC, Sierra Club Maine, Environment Maine, 350.org Portland, Maine—A new analysis released by NRDC, NWF, and other environmental groups shows that ExxonMobil is the majority owner of the pipeline that cuts across Maine and New England—a pipeline that is the Read More
Maine Environmentalists Raise Concerns About Tar Sands Pipeline
by Tom Porter MPBN news story Environmental advocates today released a report which they say highlights the determination of big oil companies to transport “toxic” tar sands oil through Maine from Canada. The study examines the ownership of a pipeline that cuts across Maine from Montreal. Tom Porter has more. Dylan Voorhees is with the Read More
