GreenWatch

B. McPherson All too often resource extraction promises big bucks but delivers big headaches. Finland is waking up to the realization that they are coping with their worst toxic spill ever. A formerly pristine area of eastern Finland has become fouled by uranium and nickel. Leachate ponds for the Talvivaara Mine have failed and are allowing toxic levels of nickel to spill into nearby waterways.  The local health people say that the levels of radiation from the uranium are below levels that would damage health – unless the radioactive material gets into the drinking water supply. That means that people cannot use the water from lakes, streams or rivers in the area for cooking or drinking. Due to the possible impact on skin, it is also recommended that people not use the water in their saunas. The Talvivaara mine is an open pit operation, extracting low grade nickel sulphide. Other metals extracted include copper, zinc and cobalt. The method used is a leaching proce...

A pipeline owned by Enbridge broke in July 2010. About a million gallons of crude oil spilled into a tributary to the Kalamazoo River. The oil still lurks in the water. Their pledge to help the environment and the people nearby rings pretty hollow these days. Hearings are ongoing in Canada as to whether to allow Enbridge build an oil pipeline from Alberta to the BC coast. Ask yourself if you want this running through your neighbourhood. Accidents can happen, but we expect the person or entity responsible to clean up the mess, not cover it up. John Bolenbaugh has put his life on the line trying to get justice for the environment and the people harmed by Enbridge's Kalamazoo oil spill.