Despite Protests, Canada Approves Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline

The Northern Gateway project was approved by the Canadian government on Tuesday. Approval of the pipeline running from the Alberta oil sands to a new port on the coast of British Columbia has intensified opposition from aboriginal groups, environmentalists and community advocates. The pipeline, being built by Enbridge, has been championed by the federal government as a way to diversify Canada?s energy industry from its current dependence on exports to the United States. But as opponents point out, the pipeline will make the province vulnerable to an oil spill, which would inevitably cause severe enviornmental damage to the area. The company must meet about 100 conditions imposed by the regulator before construction begins. If built, Northern Gateway would ship about 500,000 barrels of bitumen a day to the coast compared with the 700,000-barrel-a-day capacity of Keystone XL, which would take oil sands production to the Gulf Coast of the United States. When Northern Gateway is combined with the country?s other pipeline plans, Canada could expand shipments from the oil sands by three million barrels a day.

New York Assembly Overwhelmingly Passes Fracking Moratorium

On Monday, New York?s general assembly passed a moratorium on fracking?permits by an 89-to-34 count to allow for more time to study the environmental impact of the practice. The state has been under a fracking moratorium since 2008, with the most recent one passing in 2013. It would have expired in May 2015. Full passage of the moratorium now depends on the New York State Senate and, ultimately, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The?Senate is unlikely to address the issue before adjournment later this week.

Big Food Sues Vermont Over Its GMO Labeling Law

Vermont’s new law that will?require manufacturers to label foods?containing genetically modified ingredients won?t take effect for another two years, but industry groups are already attacking it in court.?Gov.?Peter Shumlin (D)?signed?the bill?on May 8, and a?lawsuit against it landed?on Thursday of this week, just 35 days later.?The suit was filed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Snack Food Association, International Dairy Foods Association, and National Association of Manufacturers. It argues that the

labeling law exceeds Vermont?s authority under?the U.S. Constitution, and that it would be ?difficult, if not impossible,? for the groups? members to comply with the?requirements by the mid-2016 deadline.?The labeling law?explicitly anticipates such a challenge, and establishes a legal defense fund. Attorney General William Sorrell?told the?Burlington Free Press?on Thursday that he hadn?t yet reviewed the complaint, but that?his office had already been ?gearing up? for what is sure to be?a ?heck of a fight.??The state won?t?have to fight it alone. Organic producers and consumer?groups are?rushing to?provide legal support. The Organic Consumers Association, for example,?promptly fired off an email blast?on Thursday asking?its supporters to donate money to help the nonprofit defend Vermont?s law, and to push other states to introduce similar rules. The final ruling?will influence whether states across the country ? including?Maine?and?Connecticut, which have passed similar laws during the past year, albeit with some?caveats???can be?free to impose their own GMO labeling laws in the absence of federal leadership on the issue.