The whole world knows we have to cut the use of gas, oil and coal as quickly as possible to minimize catastrophic global heating. That means no more expansion of pipelines or other fossil fuel infrastructure. But North America’s largest pipeline company, Enbridge Inc, wants to construct a brand new 48 inch fracked gas pipeline across ten kilometres of rural Hamilton.

This new pipe would be entirely inside the Greenbelt; cross city-designated environmentally sensitive areas; provincially significant wetlands; and Hamilton’s largest stream as well as Bronte Creek. It would also be partly blasted out of bedrock. Enbridge wants a HUGE easement: 28 metres wide PLUS the same amount of land bulldozed “temporarily” for construction. The route also plows through environmentally sensitive lands purchased by the public and held by the Hamilton Conservation Authority to permanently protecting them.

This is a climate wrecking plan that must be stopped. It would carry fracked gas from Pennsylvania that is then piped through Sarnia and across Ontario. In its application to the Ontario Energy Board, Enbridge assumes major increases in gas use persisting for the pipeline’s multi-decades lifetime. It also argues it can sell a lot of gas to New York and New England states because new fracked gas pipelines in the US are being successfully blocked by climate activists.

Because the fracking process features extensive leakage, it may cause even more climate damage than coal. It also permanently contaminates groundwater, pollutes the surface waters used in the extraction and frequently results in earthquakes.

The project requires permits from the City of Hamilton, three Conservation Authorities, provincial ministries and the Ontario Energy Board. It can and must be stopped. Sign the petition and volunteer to help!

We the undersigned recognize the climate emergency and oppose Enbridge’s construction of an ecologically destructive new fracked gas pipeline across rural Hamilton. We urge our elected representatives to do the same.