NWF Joins Lawsuit Against Dirty Oil Pipeline

M23Native American and environmental groups filed suit in federal court today challenging a proposed tar sands oil pipeline that would bring the dirtiest oil on Earth from Canada to the United States.

The U.S. State Department’s approval on Aug. 20 of Enbridge Energy’s Alberta Clipper pipeline permits 450,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day to be pumped from northern Alberta to Wisconsin for refining.

Compared to conventional oil, tar sands oil results in:

  • 3 times more global warming pollution
  • 5 times more lead
  • 6 times more nitrogen
  • 11 times more sulfur and nickel

“This pollution pipeline will increase our dependency on foreign fuels and accelerate the development of one of the dirtiest, most destructive fuels on the planet,” said Joe Mendelson, director of global warming policy for the National Wildlife Federation. “We should be investing in clean energy technologies that will help solve the climate crisis.”

Photo: David Dodge, The Pembina Institute