A crack in the fracking pipeline: Coastal Gaslink changes its plans

Members of Unis’tot’en camp, November 2012.

New route is “further away from Unist’ot’en Camp”
by Wild Coast and Forest Action Network, Oct 12, 2015

Great news: Unist’ot’en Camp has successfully stopped police and pipeline surveyors from entering their indigenous territory in Northern BC for another year. Now we learn that executives with Coastal Gaslink are (quietly) seeking to change the fracked gas pipeline route.

This new proposal won’t get Coastal Gaslink out of trouble with Unist’ot’en, because it would still cross their territory, 5 kilometers north of the current occupation site.

This doesn’t bode well for the consortium of pipeline companies collaborating on a unified route to Kitimat. We wonder if Coastal Gaslink will be the first to break ranks with the tarsands and fracking pipeline cartel.

Another piece of news relates to the likely reason for the logging and police presence last month. We were worried the pipeline companies and RCMP were about to move in permanently.

But that’s not the case. The companies do not have the investment capital to build their pipelines. But their provincial pipeline permit was about to expire, and the managers had to show they are doing “substantial work” by clearing trees here and there on the pipeline route. (They also spent a fair amount of time hanging around Unist’ot’en Camp doing no work at all because they were not allowed in.)

Camp life is returning to normal as the first blizzards of the season start moving through the mountains.

Unist’ot’en Reunion this winter

The clan is calling for past volunteers to return to the camp this fall and winter. Get info and share your plans to be part of the reunion.  Or call Zoe at 250-813-3569 for the latest news.

This community is a mainstay of support for Unist’ot’en Camp through the cold mountain winter. Please sponsor the Caravan today.

Unist’ot’en Camp has allies around the world. You can support the legal fund or contribute directly to the camp.