Take Action: No More Subsidies to Big Oil
Exxon Mobil (Imperial Oil) is the worlds
largest oil company and the 2nd largest global corporation with annual profits
of over 270 Billion dollars in 2004. And yet, they are still making claims
that indigenous communities are asking for too much?
Read on and please help by taking action today!
We're on the verge of a tremendous conservation victory. Imperial Oil has
declared the MACKENZIE GAS PROJECT to be uneconomic without federal subsidies.
Imperial will announce mid-November whether it will go ahead with or abandon the
project.
The MGP is much more than a pipeline that will devastate the ecosystems of the
Mackenzie River Valley. The gas it will pump into the Alberta Tar Sands would
raise GHG emissions beyond Canada's Kyoto commitments. Even Ralph Klein
has said he opposes using Mackenzie Valley Gas to fuel tar sands expansions.
TAKE A MINUTE to email the Deputy PM, Minister of the Environment and NWT
Premier. Go to Sierra Club's TAKE
ACTION NOW page for a link that sends email to all of these at once.
Or cut and paste the letter below. Or write your own letter.
______________________________________________________________________
Oct 18, 2005
Imperial Oil is seeking $2 to $3 billion in federal subsidies to construct the
Mackenzie Gas Project, which includes two pipelines (the longest of which is
1350 km long) and three natural gas fields. This $7 billion project Imperial Oil
is already fabulously profitable, with over $500 million in profits in the
second quarter of 2005; the oil industry, including Imperial Oil, already
receives $1.4 billion in government subsidies every year.
Say no more to subsidies to Big Oil!
Write, email or fax Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, with copies to
Environment Minister Stiphane Dion and NWT Premier Joe Handley and tell them to
say no to more subsidies for the Mackenzie Gas Project and yes to investments in
energy efficiency and wind and solar power.
Send a copy of the letter to Sierra Club of Canada too!
______________________________________________________
Dear Deputy Prime Minister McLellan
I am writing to urge you to reject the request by Imperial Oil and its partner
companies for additional federal subsidies to the Mackenzie Gas Project.
The oil and gas industry already receives $1.4 billion in annual federal
subsidies, according to a recent Pembina Institute study. As well, the
federal government has already set aside considerable funds to support the
Mackenzie Gas Project including $500 million to address socio-economic impacts
on indigenous communities related to construction of the Mackenzie Gas Project.
These oil companies should abandon the Mackenzie Gas Project if it remains
uneconomic even with these federal subsidies, the high price of natural gas, and
the tremendous amounts of capital available to them.
Instead of subsidizing multinational oil companies to build environmentally
destructive megaprojects, the federal government should focus on investing in
energy efficiency and alternatives to fossil fuels. I applaud your
government for its commitments in these directions so far. Such
investments are the way to meet our Kyoto Protocol commitments as well as
provide relief to consumers and small businesses from higher fuel prices.
Sincerely
Coordinates for Ministers:
Hon. Anne McLellan
Deputy Prime Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
McLellan.A@parl.gc.ca
mailto:McLellan.A@parl.gc.ca
Fax (613) 943-0044
Hon. Stephane Dion
Minister of Environment
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Fax (613) 996-6562
mailto:dion.s@parl.gc.ca
Hon. Joe Handley
Premier
Government of the Northwest Territories
P.O. Box 1382
Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Fax (867) 873-0169
mailto:premier@gov.nt.ca
cc your email to Sierra Club of Canada:
prairiechapter@sierraclub.ca