But supporters say they plan a second ordinance to prevent the shipment of the oil through the city. by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — The controversial proposal to ban so-called tar sands oil from South Portland was defeated Tuesday in a close citywide vote. The final tally was 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.
South Portland Tar Sands Opponents Vow to Continue Fight
by Patty B. Wight MPBN news story South Portland voters Tuesday narrowly defeated an ordinance to block tar sands oil from coming to the city. But those against having the thick oil flow through Maine’s pipelines are still declaring victory. That’s because the city council is holding a workshop tonight to decide whether to enact Read More
South Portland Tar Sands Opponents Fear Pipeline Project, Cite Health Hazards
by Jackie Farwell, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story SOUTH PORTLAND — Local residents determined to prevent the delivery of Canadian tar sands oil through a pipeline to tankers in South Portland warned Tuesday of the potential health hazards, even as a pipeline official again insisted the company has no such plans. A 236-mile-long Read More
Health Professionals Alarmed by Oil Industry Denials; Call Tar Sands Smokestacks a Serious Health Threat
Doctors, seniors, parents, coaches, voice concerns Protect South Portland news release Local physicians, coaches, seniors, and the American Lung Association gathered today at the Betsy Ross House, a senior-citizen residency in South Portland just a half mile from the proposed tar sands smokestacks, to express their serious concern about the health impacts of a tar Read More
A Small Group in Maine Takes on a Big Tar Sands Pipeline Plan
By Roger Drouin Grist news story A citizens group in South Portland, Maine, is hoping to beat back an effort by Big Oil to pipe tar-sands crude through their city. The group gathered enough signatures to put an initiative on the November ballot that would stymie oil companies’ plans, and now the activists are going Read More
Oil Industry Anxious for Dirty Tar Sands
by Norton Lamb and Dylan Voorhees, Natural Resources Council of Maine American Journal op-ed There is a vast volume of tar sands oil being mined in the center of Canada, and Big Oil is anxious to get it to a coast so it can ship this dirty fuel to lucrative global markets. These oil companies Read More
On 3rd Anniversary of Massive Tar Sands Spill: Mainers Rally
Urge Senator Collins to Join King, Michaud, Pingree, and Call for Full Environmental Review of Tar Sands Pipeline NRCM news release Today, on the third anniversary of the nation’s largest and most expensive oil pipeline spill, Mainers rallied at the Portland Water District headquarters, carrying signs and dressed in black to symbolize an oil spill. Read More
Call to Sen. Collins from Citizens to Join Congressional Delegation Against Tar Sands Pipeline in Maine
By Ramona Du Houx Maine Insights news story On the third anniversary of the nation’s largest and most expensive oil pipeline spill, Mainers rallied at the Portland Water District headquarters, carrying signs and dressed in black to symbolize an oil spill. They gathered to denounce oil industry efforts to pump thick, heavy tar sands oil Read More
Maine Oil Dealers Vow to Fight Tar Sands Measure, as Supporters Rally
by Tom Porter MPBN news story Environmental activists are rallying in Portland this evening to denounce what they describe as “oil industry efforts to pump tar sands oil through the Sebago Lake watershed to Portland harbor for export.” It’s the second time in less than a week that protestors have gathered to oppose the prospect Read More
