National Geographic scrutinizes oil sands pipeline headed through B.C.

Alberta's oil pipeline project has been a source of controversy in Canada for a while now, but it seems the world is taking notice.

National Geographic Magazine's latest issue features a story called "Pipeline Through Paradise," which laments the creation of the Northern Gateway pipeline that will span from Alberta to Kitimat, B.C.

This pipeline would cut straight through the Great Bear Rainforest, which people have been striving to protect for years.

National Geographic's stance on the pipeline is made clear by the narrative they choose to weave: a First Nations group, the Gitga'at, suffered when a ferry sank in Hartley Bay. To this day, the Queen of the North continues to leach diesel fuel into the water, which forever changed the Gitga'at people.

Whenever the Gitga'at talk of this new pipeline, their discussion inevitably leads back to the sinking of the Queen.

Enbridge, the company who wants to build the $5.5 billion pipeline, is not pleased by the reception it got from National Geographic.

"We spent a lot of time and effort with National Geographic," said Enbridge spokesman Paul Stanway in an Edmonton Journal story. "And in the end they didn't say very much about the information we provided.

"They were given extensive information about the safety features we would employ along the pipeline route and the maritime portion."

This is the second story National Geographic has done on the pipeline project, the first one coming in 2009. In that article, China wasn't even mentioned, but the role the country plays in the Northern Gateway pipeline has changed since then.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's recent trip to China is one example of how highly the current government values a strong relationship with China, and a reliable source of oil from the crude-rich oil sands would surely bolster relations between the two nations.

China's state-owned oil company, Sinopec, is one of the Asian and Canadian stakeholders that has invested $105 million in the early stages of the pipeline - before any ground has been broken.

But National Geographic, in line with its focus on the environment and native peoples, downplays the political and economic ramifications of the pipeline and criticizes Enbridge for encroaching on protected rainforest and aboriginal lands.

Those interested in reading a print copy of the article can find the August 2011 edition of National Geographic on news stands this week. Otherwise, you can read the full article here.

(Screengrab from National Geographic)