It might seem odd, coming from one of many Alberta pipeline construction companies, but what pipeline construction companies do is part of being environmentally responsible when it comes to extracting fossil fuels to meet energy needs. Having a constructive and factual dialogue in the face of controversy is increasingly impossible over the riot of finger-pointing, extreme rhetoric, and dehumanizing characterizations going on from the multiple interest groups that have gone all in on pipeline projects all over North America. Nobody wants to be the company that botched a job so badly as to create an environmental disaster, and here in Canada we now have some of the strictest, federally centered, environmental regulations that govern the planning, construction, maintenance, and operation of pipelines.
Points to Consider
Renewable energy is 17 percent of the current energy picture in Canada. Energy from sources like wind and solar are growing rapidly, but other renewable sources include geothermal, tidal and hydropower, biomass, biogas, and biofuels. Almost 75 percent of Canada’s total energy consumption is fossil fuels – including oil and natural gas. In Alberta, the industry provides longer-term employment, above-average wages, and accounts for 27 percent of the gross domestic product for all of Alberta. Alberta pipeline construction companies are a vital part of the economy as a whole, providing a base for thousands of businesses and tax revenues.
Talk It Out
Rhetoric and responsibility is a big subject nowadays. All parties need to remember the human in each other when talking about the industry and how it affects our economy and the environment. Nobody wants polluted air and water any more than they want families pushed from their homes, cutbacks in vital services, or people sitting in the dark and cold. The only way to move forward is to tackle the tough subjects instead of demonizing one another.