{"id":30327,"date":"2020-04-15T09:31:47","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T13:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=30327"},"modified":"2021-12-06T06:29:48","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T11:29:48","slug":"pipeline-construction-an-essential-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/30327\/pipeline-construction-an-essential-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Pipeline construction, an essential service?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here’s how the oil and gas industry continues to operate under the radar despite the coronavirus.<\/em><\/h3>\n\n

This is a stressful time to say the least. Everything seems impacted by COVID-19. We are at a point where if I press capital \u201cC\u201d in an email, COVID is automatically suggested to me. While the majority of people are being urged to practice physical distancing and to do everything we can to \u201cflatten the curve\u201d various sectors have been exempt from these rules. While exemptions allowing essential services like hospitals and food production make total sense, others leave me\u2026 stunned. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cMan camps\u201d, the work camps housing (mostly male) construction workers building new oil and gas pipelines, often in remote areas and through Indigenous land, are one troubling exception to the general ban on large gatherings. Indigenous leaders have already raised concerns<\/a> about how ongoing construction puts them at risk.<\/p>\n\n

Despite these risks, construction is still happening on dirty fossil fuel projects like the Trans Mountain Expansion<\/a> pipeline and the Coastal GasLink<\/a> fracked gas pipeline in B.C., where 400 workers<\/a> are still present on the construction site. The Keystone XL pipeline is also going ahead<\/a> with construction after getting more than a billion dollars in funding from Jason Kenney\u2019s Alberta government. Even after companies have sent a number of workers home, hundreds of workers remain at oil and gas work camps.<\/p>\n\n

How can all of these <\/strong>new<\/strong> projects be considered \u201c<\/strong>essential services<\/strong><\/a>\u201d the public needs during the pandemic? <\/strong>After all, building new fossil fuel infrastructure isn\u2019t necessary  to maintain existing services, like heating or electricity, to people during this crisis. New Zealand seems to have recognized this, since they did not consider exploratory drilling<\/a> essential.<\/p>\n\n

Shocked?<\/strong> Me too. <\/p>\n\n

Would you like to expose this situation? Do as my colleagues<\/a> did and send a letter to the editor of your local paper.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Intimidated <\/strong>and not too sure where to start?<\/p>\n\n

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Some shocking facts about the pipeline construction work that is continuing despite the coronavirus:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n