Controversial Oil Pipeline Wins Approval
February 6, 2020
Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has approved a major expansion of a pipeline from the oil sands region in Alberta to storage facilities on the Pacific Coast, ruling against several First Nations groups concerned about the pipeline’s environmental impact. In a column for the Winter 2020 Issues, a communications researcher examined the controversy, tracing the Canadian government’s steps—and missteps—in dealing with the pipeline and larger climate concerns, and offering some lessons for politicians in the United States.