Say 'no' to tar sands oil

To the Editor:

Though we didn’t go to the Washington DC Climate Change rally on February 16, a group of Norway folks went to the Portland gathering on January 26.

We marched with 1,400 other concerned, determined and enthusiastic protesters to voice our opposition to the ExxonMobil oil company’s plan to pipe toxic tar sands from Canada through the 62-year-old Portland Montreal Pipeline that runs across Maine to South Portland for shipping.

We heard environmental, Native American and governmental representatives explain the dangers of this project and how we can protect our environment from climate change and oil spills.

Tar sands oil is laden with heavy metals, sulfur, carcinogens and neurotoxins. Producing it generates three times as much carbon pollution as producing conventional oil. Fully developed and burned, the tar sands deposit in Alberta contains enough carbon to increase global carbon dioxide concentrations more than humans have increased carbon dioxide since the industrial revolution.

Canadian oil giant Enbridge and Portland Pipeline Corporation are quietly and quickly pushing through a massive expansion to run tar sands oil through the Northeast to the coasts of Maine, threatening the Androscoggin and Crooked rivers, Sebago Lake, Casco Bay and the vibrant coastal economy of Maine.

Many communities in Maine are saying no to tar sands oil. We can join them to demand that a Presidential Permit and the resulting environmental impact review be required to prevent this dangerous project from going forward. Thank you,

Dorothy Raymond

Norway