Posted on

Listen to the poems

So on in the public hall
An invite sent to Canada
Or was it to the institute
Anyway Stefan & Lauren
Invited in, lower ocean

Up stepped go or goff
Said no, piss off
And the rabble yelled
Free speech
and the other of the rabble yelled
punch a nazi

Brown shirt or black shirt
Ducked and plucked
You know what these rhyme with
Sure in their conviction of correctness
Or maybe some not really caring
What a damned mess

My grandfather stood on this hill
Against something
rather than for something
My grandmother stood on no hill
This is something for men to do
Well glory be, praise to the lead
rat a tat tat you are dead

Hey.
That is not the way that it was
War is horror
War has no morrow
Only aches of sorrow
Listen to the poems
Listen to the songs
Listen to the ancients
Before you spread this
To the children

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Kinder Morgan proposed pipeline in Western Canada

This was my part of a group project on Strategic Environmental Assessment in 2018. Basically a list of key points, might be handy for those wanting to get a hold of this issue.


Update 30/5/18 (16:20 NZST). Canadian Government is going to buy the pipeline from Kinder Morgan. This kind of complicates the opposition to it. Will be an interesting next 12 months or so. Basically Canadian Government is either playing a National strategic game (likely) or they are helping out Kinder Morgan (also likely but not compatible with first suggestion). I suspect that the pipeline will be sold back at the first post build opportunity (If you disagree say so in the comments).


Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Canada

  • 1990 Cabinet directive issued to consider environmental concerns in the development of their policies, plans, and programs (PPPs). Federal level triggered if proposal submitted to Minister for approval and if project may result in significant environmental impact. Act stipulates that the National Energy Board (NEB) members live in Calgary, Alberta. (the Tarsands are in the north of Alberta and date to just before this time).
  • 1999, 2004 & 2010 Cabinet directive updated with advice on how to implement.
  • 2012 Harper (Conservative) government guts all EAs (Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 or CEAA).NEB (based in Calgary) put in charge of pipelines. The NEB is unpopular in Canada, something that both itself and the Canadian government have acknowledged in 2016.
  • 2016 Recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Liberal) announces overhaul of IAs/EAs.
  • 2018 Bill C-69 tabled. Plans to repeal CEAA 2012 and replace it with the Impact Assessment Act. Broadens scope to include health, social, economic in addition to environmental and has an emphasis on sustainability and indigenous cooperation. One agency proposed for all IAs. Not though retrospective. New act would shift many decisions to Federal level.

SEA at Provincial Level (British Columbia)

  • The (British Columbia) Environmental Assessment Act (EAA 2002) is poorly applied and regulated (especially in regard to SEA). There are also numerous activities that it does not apply to, including oil and gas exploration.
  • There is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between British Columbia and Federal Government from 2013 on which Act to apply (Federal or Provincial) in impact assessments. But it is of a request nature from Province to Federal government and the final decision is up to the Federal Minister. If the minister rejects the request then the two parties have to seek to organize a cooperative Environmental Assessment (EA).
  • These MOUs (and their like) are eliminated in the proposed Act (currently Bill C-69). There also seems to be a provision that eliminates everyone from decision making except for the proposed oversight Federal Agency (or their review board) – Section 39(2). This in fact seems to be how the Trudeau Government is attempting to proceed with the pipeline which it supports.

     

    Kinder Morgan (Trans Mountain) pipeline.

    • Current Kinder Morgan pipeline runs from west of Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby in the Greater Vancouver area British Columbia.
      • New pipeline runs along the current pipe route but deviates at various places most importantly at the end of the pipeline in Burnaby.
      • Kinder Morgan Limited (Canada) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Corporation based in Texas. Kinder Morgan purchased pipeline assets of the since liquidated Enron companies back in the 1990s just before Enron collapsed. It is registered in the state of Delaware (a tax haven). Richard D. Kinder (the Kinder in Kinder Morgan) is a former president of Enron.
      • Kinder Morgan has applied (2013 but process began earlier) for an expansion of the current pipeline increasing capacity from about 340,000 barrels to 890,000 barrels a day.
      • British Columbia’s recently elected Government (New Democratic Party with support of the Greens) is opposed to the pipeline. As are the Burnaby council, most indigenous groups (there are 131 indigenous groups involved in the official application process) and many other British Columbians.
      • Albertan Government supports the pipeline.

      Pipeline timeline

      • 1951 -1953 Current pipeline built by Standard Oil and Bechtel Corporation (both United States companies).
      • 2005 Kinder Morgan takes over current pipeline assets
      • 2006 New pipeline proposed. It is opposed immediately by many British Columba groups including David Suzuki Foundation, Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund.
      • 2007 Oil spill on current pipeline at Burnaby
      • 2013 An application is made to the National Energy Board (NEB) to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline.
      • 2015 The Liberals led by Justin Trudeau are elected as Canada’s new government.
      • 2016 Trudeau’s Government announces that Greenhouse gas emissions will be taken into consideration re the proposed pipeline and appoints a 3 member panel to this effect (May 17).
      • 2016 The NEB recommends approval of the pipeline, subject to 157 conditions (May 29)
      • 2016 Trudeau sanctions the pipeline expansion.
      • 2017 New British Columbia Government elected (very close election). It opposes the pipeline.
      • 2018 Fight! (it is unlikely the pipeline will go ahead).
      References (bit ugly at the moment will update later)

       

      Baynova, T. (2014), ‘Best Practices For Strategic Environmental Assessment And Application To The Ontario Long-Term Energy Plan’, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada (Masters thesis).

      http://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3344

       

      Canada Government (1990), ‘The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals’, last amended 2016.

      https://www.canada.ca/en/environmental-assessment-agency/programs/strategic-environmental-assessment/cabinet-directive-environmental-assessment-policy-plan-program-proposals.html

       

      Canada Government (2016), ‘Public Statements of Detailed Strategic Environmental Assessments’.

      https://www.canada.ca/en/environmental-assessment-agency/programs/strategic-environmental-assessment/public-statements-detailed-strategic-environmental-assessments.html

       

      Canada and British Columbia Governments  (2013), Memorandum of Understanding Between the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (Agency) and British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) on Substitution of Environmental Assessments.

      http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/files/EAO-CEAA-Substitution-MOU.pdf

       

      Doelle, M, ‘Bill C-69: The Proposed New Federal Impact Assessment Act (IAA)’, Environmental Law News, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

      https://blogs.dal.ca/melaw/2018/02/09/bill-c-69-the-proposed-new-federal-impact-assessment-act/

       

      [British Columbia] Environmental Assessment Act, SBC 2002, c 43, [“EAA”] s 11(2)(b).

       

      Chaker, A.; El-Fadl, K.; Chamas, L.; Hatjian, B. (2006). A review of strategic environmental assessments in 12 selected countries. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26: 15-56.

       

      European Commission. 2018. Strategic Environmental Assessment – SEA. European Commission Website. Retrieved on April 25, 2018 from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/sea-legalcontext.htm

       

      Global Affairs Canada, ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan, and Program Proposals Handbook’

      http://www.international.gc.ca/development-developpement/priorities-priorites/enviro/seapppp-eespppp.aspx?lang=eng

       

      Haddock, M. (2010), ‘Environmental Assessment in British Columbia’, Environmental Law Centre, University of Victoria, British Columbia.

      http://www.elc.uvic.ca/documents/ELC_EA-IN-BC_Nov2010.pdf

       

      House of Commons Canada (2018), ‘Proposed new federal Impact Assessment Act (first part of C-69)’, Parliament of Canada.

      http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-69/first-reading

       

      International Association of Impact Assessment

      http://iaia.org/

       

      National Energy Board, ‘Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC’, accessed April 30th 2018.

      https://apps.neb-one.gc.ca/REGDOCS/Item/View/548311

       

      Smith, G., Johnston, A., Askew,H., ‘ Why it’s time to reform  Environmental Assessment in British Columbia’, West Coast Environmental Law.

      http://friendsofwildsalmon.ca/images/uploads/news_articles/2018-01-bc-eareform-backgrounder-web.pdf

       

      Staples, L., Askew, H. (2016), ‘Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment For Northern British Columbia: The Case And The Opportunity’, West Coast Environmental Law.

      https://www.wcel.org/sites/default/files/publications/WCEL_NBCenviroAssess_report_FINAL_0.pdf

      Tetlow, M.F.; Hanusch, M. (2012) Strategic Environmental Assessment: State of the Art. Impact

       

       

Posted on

Ra ra

so i took a finnish bath
looked up the garden path
crooked a look at the serpent math
tried a squint at the resultant wrath

i yelled out in karelian pith
held out for morwellian myth
how long is this paradigm riff
how old really is a tee yo and with

Ha said hi to the sun god ra from me
ensconsed in protocol from far dexterity
sang a song to a typical punditry
rang a bell to the Agata Christie tree

and I heard a sax song a war lord wry
a booming drum describe a forlorn π
I heard an old world plead not to die
and waxed on how a rah rah was a sporting cry

and as I lost even more righted words
I looked up in the sky to the floating birds
I gave hell to the ensconced lazy chords
who were not weaving mighty enough to be thirds

Hail era three by three, raise an ark for free
Hear the din and rark up for any sort of liberty
Instead of hell ore hades or uptown son’s idiocy
We there paen sixpence infin or trin fare them see

So give a metre and a fought you will sow
Cush shone brightly I’ll let you know
Until Rome shut it down with words flung low
Fitting epitath for ragged rhyming river Po

Now say it softly in case they hear
But its the hordes we must call and cheer
Describe the cave and they will peer
It’s only the lords who woe state price two dear

And now I souvenir a rattle snakes death askance
I heard a keyboard hay guitar twang a rotten chance
worded won thousand stars blue moon munted lance
in the distance I heard the cracklng witches chants

ra ra

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Go forth young

The cowes fowl
Milk prizes did not dwell
Fatted udders clotted and belled
Danes swatted, Swiss plotted
South Island rivers tanked
Bulls in a china shop

The metal water thieves
Swarming like krakken
Rusted and kakked
Like oil was frakked
A billion or more lost lives
for a plane to St Ives

And in place this ways
up rose orchards and cos letters
Universities jumped over the moon
Cabbages instead of coals
Tomatoes instead of horned toes
The snow returned
Rivers half turned
Peas broke and ran, scatted in clan

Science yelled, students squinted
Is it 9 billion or 9, the zeros hinted
Are you not you one or two
On the other side of the hearth
Sat Tuatara on a foot laugh
Here before you, but nothing unless too
Or add a bit for free
Fish can wonder too

Not yin not yang
Not give not take
But ying yang and yong
Give, take and bake
For knees and happens sake
The good anon has spake
Of the quatarnery awake
I wonder who is the other one
This young nipper tea

Posted on

The cat in the hat

The cat in the hat
He just does knat
I think he should scat
The turbo-charged brat

The orange wigged prig
The turtle necked stig
The cow jumping planets
The solar reneged rejects
Should scat, de cat

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Code

When software becomes too big
it becomes unmanageable
stretches at the seams
blows out in parts beyond means
blues flow into greens
reds stand and simmer in past misdeeds
poorly concocted codes causes storms
and blows and stammers and implodes
when rage drove the code
when hate fleshed the mother ode
when daughter and sister were cut
by design or by omission
the storms blew, the seas rose
but this is just one, of total
there is maybe 5 or 7
or maybe more who am I to count
there are sinews that I have not even
thought of, and I know for
sure that you have not either