At a loss for words

Sometimes I read the news and I'm at a loss for words. I simply cannot believe things like this continue to happen and we're expected to believe Enbridge when they say we have no need to worry. Things like what, you're wondering.

The Yokohama, a Liberian flagged vessel, docked in Prince Rupert after encountering hurricane force winds off the North Coast of B.C.

Things like, “29 containers fall overboard en route to Prince Rupert,” the headline of an article that reported:

The container vessel known as the Cosco Yokohama encountered dangerous weather conditions in the Gulf of Alaska last weekend while traveling from Asia to Prince Rupert.

Next thing you know, 29 containers are lost at sea. Due to weather. In winter. Off the North Coast of British Columbia. Imagine that.

So, how can anyone think shipping tankers full of TAR SANDS CRUDE along this VERY SAME ROUTE can POSSIBLY be a GOOD IDEA???

It's flabbergasting.

P.S. My colleague John suggests yelling phrases that include all capital letters. I felt it was appropriate.

Katie Terhune is the Energy Campaign Manager for Living Oceans Society.

Northern Gateway and tanker risks

Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway project is about more than just pipelines and tar sands. What sets this project apart from others, is oil tankers. Really big oil tankers.

Northern Gateway is really a tanker-pipeline megaproject. If approved, it will bring 225 crude oil tankers to Canada’s Pacific North Coast for the first time in order to ship the world’s dirtiest oil to markets in Asia. These tankers are the length of three and a half football fields and carry nearly eight times more oil than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. Introducing them to Canada’s Pacific North Coast is not a good idea. Why you ask? Here are a few reasons: