Oil from the Canadian oil sands is transported via pipelines. The proposed Northern Gateway pipeline would carry oil from Alberta, through British Columbia to the port city of Kitimat for access to Asian markets. This route takes the pipeline through rural and urban areas as well as First Nations’ lands and faces opposition by those concerned about environmental risks of the pipeline and those opposed to extracting oil sands oil in general. Proponents point to the economic benefits that come with the pipeline.
Go to the following websites and read the articles about this issue: www.pipeupagainstenbridge.ca/ and www.northerngateway.ca/.
Evaluate the websites and work with the information to answer the following questions:
Are these reliable information sources? Do they have a clear and transparent agenda?
Who runs these websites? Do the organizations’ credentials make them reliable or unreliable? Explain.
Do you suspect any bias on the part of these organizations? What might that bias be and how could you verify their major claims?
Briefly summarize what you believe are the most important pros and cons of the Northern Gateway pipeline. Based on your reading, do you support this pipeline project? Justify your answer.
What else would you like to know about this project? Do an Internet search to find more information. List at least two more sources, including their urls. In addition, answer Questions part 1 and part 2 for each source. Based on the new information you have gathered, has your opinion about the project changed? Why or why not?