[All] Gren News update March 12/2017

[water.lulu at yahoo.ca]

Local: 
Blue Dot Social is taking place at the Smiling Tiger Cafe on Monday March 20, 7 pm to 8:30 pm to help plan a campaign to support a Federal Environmental Bill of Rights. Their Facebook event page is here https://www.facebook.com/events/411389965862313/

Transition Guelph’s 2017 Resilience Festival runs from March 23-26 at Innovation Guelph at 111 Farquhar St. Guelph. Lots of workshops and events scheduled. For more information visit here: http://guelphresiliencefestival.ca/ 
As part of the same festival, on Friday March 24, there is a meeting at 7PM on this topic: Should Guelph should join 1,000 communities worldwide that have declared their intent to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy by mid-century? More info here; https://www.guelphmercury.com/community-story/7184002-lots-of-interest-in-renewable-city-concept/
Provincial:
Imperial Oil had heavy flaring after Sarnia facility lost “air supply” to several processing units. It caused dramatic flaring that could be viewed from Michigan and resulted in multiple grass fires and concerns about communications with US officials on the other side of the lake.http://www.theobserver.ca/2017/03/02/michigan-official-calls-for-better-communication-during-emergencies
Video of the flaring is on CBC news here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/imperial-oil-sarnia-fire-1.3997426
Enbridge Engineer issues warnings of Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline in Straits of Mackinachttp://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/enbridge_line_5_ed_timm_psab.html

Need of Public Input on how to reduce Phosphates in Lake Erie. Chime in here: http://www.letstalklakeerie.ca/
Trump administration is proposing to slash the funding for the binational Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from $300 million to $10 million, causing consternation among Niagara politicians who see the health of the world’s largest fresh water basin as vital to the local environment and economy. http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/03/06/trumps-cut-will-hurt-great-lakes-say-mayors


Jeff Reutter, special adviser for the Ohio Sea Grant program states "If We Lose the EPA, We Lose Lake Erie,"
http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2017/02/28/if-we-lose-the-epa-we-lose-lake-erie-great-lakes-scientist-says

National:
Université Laval first university in Canada to divest from fossil fuels https://ricochet.media/en/1684/laval-becomes-first-university-in-canada-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels

Millions promised for Indigenous kids is subsidizing mining companies, internal documents show:
https://www.pressprogress.ca/millions_promised_for_indigenous_kids_is_subsidizing_mining_companies_internal_documents_show
Enbridge's CEP Al Monaco states Canada needs only 2 export Pipelines http://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-enbridge-ceo-says-canada-210259925.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

How Oil Firms are attempting to reduce C02 http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/2017/03/10/industry-taking-environmental-lead
Marathon Oil divesting billions in oil sands. (selling to Canadian Natural)  http://www.worldoil.com/news/2017/3/9/marathon-announces-multi-billion-dollar-oil-sands-divestiture-permian-acquisition#.WMN3R_y4MyU.twitter
Shell to divest most Canadan oil sands assets to Canadian Natural for $8.5 bn http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_s/Shell/20170309_oil_sands.html

ExxonMobil Corp. and Conoco Phillips became the latest majors to bail, writing off nearly five billion barrels of oil-sands reserves between them in February, which wiped roughly $250 billion in value off their books. And they’re not the only ones. China’s CNOOC-owned Nexen shut down its oil sands upgrader. Royal Dutch Shell took a $2-billion write-down and abandoned its 80,000 barrel per day Carmon Creek project. Statoil ASA sold its oil sands interests to Calgary-based Athabasca Oil. http://www.lexpert.ca/article/the-crude-reality-international-oil-majors-step-away-from-canadas-oil-sands/?p&sitecode=lex

International: 
8 fossil fuel companies are responsible for a third of emissions from oil and gas, according to the non-profit group CDP The companies are are Saudi Aramco, Exxon Mobil Corp., OAO Gazprom, the National Iranian Oil Co., BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, China National Petroleum Corp and Petroleo Mexicanos. In 2015 they emitted 6.59 gigatons of CO2 equivalent, almost the same amount as the U.S. that year.  https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/1232Z:MM
California Judge Rules Against Monsanto, Allows Cancer Warning on Roundup
http://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-california-ruling-roundup-2310904321.html

Standing Rock Update: The Bureau of Indian Affairs along with police and armed guards demolished all Indigenous camps at the Standing Rock sites. The Sacred Camp is going to court because they were officially registered as a non-profit religious group yet the US prohibited them from receiving donations, visits and prohibited the entry of property by those who were members and those own the lands. The Sacred Fire was lit by all seven of the Lakota Tribes which was a first in history and it was housed in the school house on private property. If it is put out in the wrong fashion it is an act of desecration. There were many reports of desecrated sacred items that took place when people were incarcerated. People report sacred items had been urinated on, desecrated or destroyed. As a result of the threat, the sacred fire was moved from Standing Rock and brought to Hawaii where it was entered into a mountain where it will burn forever. Court processes to contest the violation of Religious rights is already underway with many more court processes to come including injunctions to stop the work. Now that the camp phase is completed, the movement is shifting to focus on legal response to protect the water and they will be bring this issue to US Supreme Courts and International Courts. Hearings to secure an injunction to stop work at the site have already taken place. We await the verdict. 
Climate Change battles are winning in courts. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/08/how-climate-change-battles-are-increasingly-being-fought-and-won-in-court
New coal power plant approvals fell by 85% last year and they suspended 100 planned and under-construction coal projects. http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/03/02/china-coal-plant-approval-fall-2016/http://

Have a good one folks!
Lulu :0)


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