How building Canada’s pipelines can lower global greenhouse gas emissions and meet CRTC targets to connect rural communities with high-speed telecommunications.
Can Canadians come together to build a better future for the next generation? What if we could enjoy the economic benefits of supporting the GDP from our largest industry? What if Canadians could help move the needle to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing concerns of the environmental risk of building pipelines, and also bring high- speed broadband connectivity to remote and rural communities at the same time?
Most Canadians will agree it is our moral obligation to Mother Nature and to future generations, to do better. Canadians can make a tangible difference to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and meet its target to connect rural communities with the rest of Canada, and the world, with high- speed connectivity.
Making a difference in global greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing coal with LNG.
Canadians contribute a mere 1.69% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. The top three emitters are China, USA, and the EU.
Combined, these top three contribute 14 times the emissions of the bottom 100 countries of global greenhouse gas emitters.
To truly make a difference in the global emissions of greenhouse gasses, Canadians should be making their best effort to get our LNG to tidewater in order to reduce coal consumption. Currently Canada is exporting 64% of our coal to Asia, 13% to Europe and the Middle East, and 3% to the USA from ports in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia, primarily for steel-making.
If liquified natural gas (LNG) replaces coal or oil power, global emissions will fall. The combination of LNG, in addition to focusing on renewables, offers the ability to displace coal power. This is ultimately the collective goal for Canadians, and the most pro-active way to lower global emissions.
China is ground zero for global greenhouse gas emissions. As the factory of the world, more than two thirds of China’s emissions come from coal fired electricity which accounts for 70% of China’s emissions. Reducing China’s dependence on coal should be the top priority of Canadian’s.
Canada can truly make a global impact on emissions by aiding China in getting off of their coal dependency through export of the lowest emission-intensity LNG possible, while also building our national economy and the lives of Canadians today as well as for future generations.
Holistic framework for remediation and reclamation of oil sands
Sustainable development of the oil sands industry is crucial and important to the economy of Canada and for global energy solutions for the near-term future.
Canada has the highest environmental standards in the world, in regards to the development of oil and gas, as well as human rights. Canadians can be proud to support a local economy, knowing the producers are maintaining the social responsibility of reclaiming the land with the best technology of today. Decisions and regulations of the past cannot be remedied overnight, but positive movement forward and better technology will continue to improve the efforts of being stewards of the land for generations to come.
The oil and gas industry will continue to fund green technology research and implement holistic full cycle projects.
Wapisiw Lookout is an example of the future of reclamation in the oil sands, and is a huge accomplishment for Suncor, one they can be proud of. We will not know the degree of success for another 13 year’s, however this major feat is a great foot forward in reclamation of the boreal forest and wetlands of Northern Alberta. This project represents the first in oil sand tailings pond reclamation under a provincial regulation where 100% of oil sand disturbance must be reclaimed.
Oil Production will continue with or without pipelines
Whether or not pipelines are built, oil will continue to be used to meet our demands for transportation fuel and petrochemicals regardless of what positive steps forward are made in terms of renewables in the near future. Alberta has the most serious and comprehensive rules and regulations to ensure compliance in regards to environmental standards in the production of oil and gas, and is the global leader in transparency in terms of public access to information. Something the provincial government, industry and Canadians can be proud of.
Although 99.9% of product transported by pipeline safely reaches its destination, it remains a concern to communities directly affected by any environmental risk. Fortunately, next to boat transport, pipeline transport of product is the next safest form of getting product to its destination, with railcar being next and truck transport last.
Over the past ten years, even though pipelines grew by 11%, the overall number of incidences has dropped by 48% This major reduction in incidences hasn’t made pipeline failure any less real for the communities and people living along proposed pipeline right-of-way.
It is the potential impact of a 1 in 100 000 failure, and the concern of how that would affect daily way of life to those communities that is the major concern, and rightly so. No one wants their health, safety or way of life to be at risk.
Pipelines are lower risk than transport by rail
In 2017, freight trains accounted for 34% of all trains involved in rail accidents, 115 of those involved dangerous goods (the ten year average is 138). As industry looks to get their oil and gas to market, the risk of rail accidents will increase with ever increasing rail car transport.
Oil export by rail as of October 2018 was at 327,229 barrels per day, with Alberta looking to increase that by 120,000 barrels per day with the purchase of new rail cars.
Communities are fighting development of new pipelines, but are living next to thousands of barrels a day racing by via rail car, a higher risk method of transport.
Canadians will easily remember the Lac-Megantic disaster. We can avoid this type of disaster from occurring by using transport by pipeline and new technology with 24/7 real-time monitoring.
Telecommunications and Fiber Optics: real-time monitoring of pipeline leak detection
Rigstar believes in the health, safety and wellbeing of rural and remote communities in both Canada and the US. We believe intrinsically safe technology for the purpose of real-time monitoring of pipelines can reduce environmental risk, increase operational safety and bring peace of mind for the health and wellbeing of communities along pipeline right-of-way.
Using Fiber Optics as a technology to sensor temperature, acoustics and strain, it is possible to monitor the security and structural integrity of a pipeline detecting leaks within meters, in real-time, at 10 second intervals. This includes characterizing flow conditions along the entire pipe/pipeline and determining flow assurance anomalies.
It is possible to identify potential damaging activity near pipeline, and classify whether it is natural (ie landslides) accidental or intentional damage, maintaining the security, environment and wellbeing of the communities along the pipeline right-of- way.
With this 24/7 monitoring, communities can feel confident that in the very unlikely case an incident were to occur, notification and response would be immediate, lowering any risk of environmental disaster.
A Social Contract for building pipelines: high- speed connectivity for rural communities
Rigstar Industrial Telecom believes access to highspeed internet improves the wellbeing and safety of a community and allows indigenous and rural communities to fully participate in the economy, democracy and way of life.
Pipeline companies are in a unique position to bring real value to positively impact even the smallest communities along the pipeline right-of-way in the form of telecommunications as a basic service.
Community investment by pipeline companies along the pipeline right-of-way is a laudable corporate commitment and an important step towards Canada reaching its goal to bring high-speed, broadband internet access to 300 rural and remote communities by 2021.
Challenges in geography and smaller populations present real barriers to private sector investment in building and maintaining high-speed internet infrastructure.
There are tangible synergies in combining high-speed internet infrastructure and fibre optics 24/7 monitoring with the construction of a pipeline, providing increased public safety in communities along the pipeline right-of-way.
With the construction of new backbone infrastructure, high speed networks can connect rural institutions like schools, hospitals, First Nation band offices and libraries, as well as the ability to improve residential business and mobile services.
Pipeline right-of-way can be leveraged to build last-mile infrastructure and bring internet access to rural communities, households and businesses that do not have speeds of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps).
Rigstar Industrial Telecom is passionate about remote telecom and the equality of services to remote locations in both Canada and the United States, and we are committed to our communities, our infrastructure and economic development of our nations.
Canadians can make a difference to global emissions and bring broadband to rural communities
Pipelines bring economic and social benefits to rural and remote communities, and have the potential to allow Canadians to make a true impact to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by bringing LNG to nations that are highly dependent on the consumption of coal.
Our goal is that communities demand that pipelines are built. Canadians can contribute to the economic and social benefits that high-speed connectivity brings to rural communities while also having a tangible positive effect on the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. Pipelines can reduce the environmental risk of the inevitable increased traffic by rail and will support the Canadian economy through a $100 billion-a-year industry that contributes to the standard of living, health and welfare that Canadian families are proud to enjoy.
Rigstar Industrial Telecom is a non-dominant carrier with the CRTC specializing in remote communications and last mile infrastructure.
