by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council took its first concrete step Monday toward prohibiting Canadian oil sands from being shipped through the city’s port. The South Portland City Council took its first concrete step Monday toward prohibiting Canadian oil sands from being shipped through the Read More
Tar Sands Oil
Tar sands oil is the dirtiest and most climate-destructive form of oil in the world. When it spills, it is almost impossible to clean up. There was a proposal to bring tar sands oil through an existing nearly 70-year-old pipeline in Maine. It crosses some of Maine’s most pristine watersheds and ends at Casco Bay. This plan would have put our lakes, rivers, and coastal waters at risk, and threatened communities and drinking water from Sebago Lake along its path. NRCM was the first organization to bring the threat of tar sands to the public’s attention in Maine in 2009, and was a leader on this issue statewide.
Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet and is a growing threat in Maine and the Northeast. Extracted from huge open-pit mines in Alberta, Canada, tar sands oil is 20% more carbon intensive than conventional crude oil.
Sending tar sands crude oil to Maine would have required reversing an existing pipeline owned by Portland Montreal Pipe Line, a pipeline that passes next to Sebago Lake, the drinking water supply for more than 15% of Maine people. It would have endangered Casco Bay and our fishing and lobster industries. Many Maine cities and towns passed resolutions in opposition to transporting tar sands oil through their communities, and South Portland passed the Clear Skies Ordinance to protect their community.
Oil Industry Threatens Lawsuit Over S. Portland Tar Sands Moratorium
The American Petroleum Institute says the six-month moratorium on some waterfront development violates state and federal laws. by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story A national petroleum lobbying group is gearing up to sue the city of South Portland if it moves forward next week with a moratorium on loading Canadian tar-sands Read More
South Portland Tar Sands Ordinance Could Face Court Challenge
by Susan Sharon MPBN news story The American Petroleum Insititute has told South Portland that a moratorium on tar sands oil activity would likely violate a number of laws, as well as the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. The city of South Portland, which is currently considering a moratorium on the shipping of tar sands oil from Read More
Feds Tell Portland Pipe Line Corp. that Any Future Plans to Carry Tar Sands Must be Reviewed
by Whit Richardson, staff writer Bangor Daily News news story SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — In what opponents are characterizing as a reversal of an earlier decision, the U.S. Department of State in August informed the Portland Pipe Line Corp. that it wants to review any future plans the company may propose to reverse the flow Read More
South Portland Voters Reject Ordinance Targeting Tar Sands Oil
But supporters say they plan a second ordinance to prevent the shipment of the oil through the city. by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — The controversial proposal to ban so-called tar sands oil from South Portland was defeated Tuesday in a close citywide vote. The final tally was Read More
South Portland Tar Sands Opponents Vow to Continue Fight
by Patty B. Wight MPBN news story South Portland voters Tuesday narrowly defeated an ordinance to block tar sands oil from coming to the city. But those against having the thick oil flow through Maine’s pipelines are still declaring victory. That’s because the city council is holding a workshop tonight to decide whether to enact Read More
South Portland Tar Sands Opponents Fear Pipeline Project, Cite Health Hazards
by Jackie Farwell, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story SOUTH PORTLAND — Local residents determined to prevent the delivery of Canadian tar sands oil through a pipeline to tankers in South Portland warned Tuesday of the potential health hazards, even as a pipeline official again insisted the company has no such plans. A 236-mile-long Read More
Health Professionals Alarmed by Oil Industry Denials; Call Tar Sands Smokestacks a Serious Health Threat
Doctors, seniors, parents, coaches, voice concerns Protect South Portland news release Local physicians, coaches, seniors, and the American Lung Association gathered today at the Betsy Ross House, a senior-citizen residency in South Portland just a half mile from the proposed tar sands smokestacks, to express their serious concern about the health impacts of a tar Read More
A Small Group in Maine Takes on a Big Tar Sands Pipeline Plan
By Roger Drouin Grist news story A citizens group in South Portland, Maine, is hoping to beat back an effort by Big Oil to pipe tar-sands crude through their city. The group gathered enough signatures to put an initiative on the November ballot that would stymie oil companies’ plans, and now the activists are going Read More
