Aboriginal groups fight against oil pipelines

Canadian oil pipelines have been in the talks for years as foreign oil prices continued to rise, but as the closing date draws near on three of them, it's raising the ire of local aboriginal groups.

The Canadian government has been hit hard by bottlenecks at their current pipelines and an oil glut that has cut prices for Alberta oil, but they see a light at the end of the tunnel with the creation of three new multi-million dollar pipelines.

TransCanada Corp is planning a pipeline to Texas, but is waiting for federal approval. Enbridge Inc. will build a pipeline to the Pacific Coast with the hopes of exporting oil to China. Kinder Morgan wants to double the capacity of its current pipeline that takes oil to Vancouver.

Each of these pipelines either go through or are near native lands and groups are worried what an environmental disaster could do to the land. Ten bands of aboriginal groups from Canada and the United States have joined together in protest of the pipelines and are willing to fight for their rights.

The groups are saying that the government is ignoring treaties signed in the 18th and 19th century that provided rights to the groups over the land. In the United States, environmental groups have been rallying for President Obama to deny the pipeline to Texas, but no decision has been made.

The Canadian government seems to be bound and determined to keep the pipelines alive and expects the groups to adhere to the law. The government is taking the stand that Canada needs the pipelines to thrive.

Once again, it's the age old fight between progress and the environment. Canada wants the money and seems to be willing to sacrifice the rights of its own people for it and the people want to protect their land and their homes from potential disaster.

It makes me wonder who will win in the long run: The people or the oil companies.

Photo courtesy of The New York Times