Author Archives: Blair

How reliant are we on fossil fuels in British Columbia?

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Blair

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog post that included a thought experiment of a world where fossil fuels had magically disappeared. As many of you know, I write a blog for the Huffington Post Canada and I decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Fossil Fuel Free Future, Pipelines, Uncategorized | 24 Comments

A pragmatic compromise on Energy East that Prime Minister Trudeau could get behind

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Blair

As anyone who has followed this blog knows, I have kept my ear tuned to the fiasco that is the National Energy Board (NEB) hearings on the Energy East Pipeline Project in Quebec. One fallout of this mess is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A layman’s guide to the behaviour of diluted bitumen in a marine spill

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Blair

Having listened to the arguments for and against the Energy East and the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) projects one of the things that really struck me was the low quality of the scientific knowledge used in the debates. In particular, … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Chemistry and Toxicology, Energy East, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

When anti-pipeline activist pretend that facts don’t matter

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Blair

In my last post I bemoaned the lack of intellectual rigour among the activists fighting pipeline expansion in BC, Ontario and Quebec. I thought I had presented three pretty solid examples where the opponents of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy East, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Trans Mountain | 11 Comments

On the absence of intellectual rigour and honesty in the pipeline debate

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Blair

Well it seems that with the re-commencement of the NEB hearings on the Energy East project and the Trans-Mountain consultations all I seem to be talking about these days is pipelines. As a pragmatic environmentalist I find this disheartening, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy East, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

The Husky oil spill, its effects on the pipeline debate and a thought experiment about a world without fossil fuels

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Blair

It has now been over a week since the Husky Oil Spill in the North Saskatchewan River. To date I have resisted writing much on the topic as details on the spill have been scarce and contradictory. As a blogger … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Uncategorized | 15 Comments

The Trans Mountain Expansion Project Open House or Blair’s Adventure in Wonderland

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Blair

As promised, I attended the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) Ministerial Panel Public Open House in Langley. I went in with an open mind and left the event feeling that I now know what it is like to be the ant at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil Sands, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

On pipelines, oil-by-rail, and the relative risk of catastrophic spills in the aquatic environment

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Blair

As my regular readers know besides this blog I also write a blog at the Huffington Post. It typically consists of shorter versions on my pieces here. Well my most recent post on the Trans-Mountain Expansion project has received a … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Energy East, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Risk, Risk Assessment Methodologies, Risk Communication, Trans Mountain | 16 Comments

My proposed presentation to the Trans Mountain Expansion Ministerial Panel

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Blair

As I wrote in my previous post, on July 27th I will be attending the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) Ministerial Panel Public Open House in Langley. If I get a chance this is what I intend to say. My name is Blair … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Climate Change, Climate Change Politics, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 14 Comments

My latest thoughts on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Blair

I have a strong interest in pipelines. I have written a lot about pipelines with a section dedicated to them at this blog and numerous pieces at my blog at the Huffington Post. Most of my blog pipeline pieces address … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Pipelines, Trans Mountain | 3 Comments