New gas pipelines for Hamilton

Enbridge has obtained provincial funding to build new gas pipelines in Hamilton business parks. City council in principle endorsed the plans early in the pandemic. Dozens of other municipalities across the continent are banning installation of new gas lines to avoid more greenhouse gas emissions and move forward on their climate goals.

The pipelines subsidy is part of $234 million being given to Enbridge by the Ford government to expand the use of gas in “rural, northern and indigenous communities”. The province says these will “help keep the cost of energy low for families, businesses and farmers”.

The Hamilton project has been allocated $10.3 million to service an expected 12 new customers in the Airport Employment Growth District and Red Hill Business Park. While several of the 28 projects across the province are getting more funds, the Hamilton one is by far the highest provincial subsidy per anticipated new gas customer.

Enbridge’s application for the provincial funding required formal support from municipal governments. The company obtained that from Hamilton council two years ago with a package that was sweetened with proposed new gas lines to the rural hamlets of Rockton, Westover, Sheffield and Alberton.

Unlike the large corporations in the business parks, the villages didn’t make the provincial subsidy list. But their potential inclusion won enthusiastic support for the Enbridge application from councillors like Judi Partridge and Lloyd Ferguson. The latter deemed the “rural community very excited” by the prospect.

Previous provincial support for expansion of gas lines has also required funding from the affected municipalities, but staff noted that “in this round that is not required”, although they said it could be offered once the city sees the pipeline routes and other project details.

Maureen Wilson asked for and got assurances that the Enbridge project will be subjected to a public process by the Ontario Energy Board. So far that hasn’t turned up on the OEB website and the Enbridge project site only shows the potential land area that might be affected.

The Ford government tore up wind and solar projects when it came to power and has since announced plans to greatly expand the use of fossil gas to generate electricity. Hamilton council is one of more than 30 who have passed resolutions against that plan which would increase electricity-related emissions by up to 400 percent.

Recently New York became one of more than 50 cities banning the installation of new gas lines to residences and businesses. Shortly afterwards the state government of New York joined the ban. Similar steps are underway in Vancouver and Toronto.

There was local opposition to the Enbridge plans when they were presented to councillors including from Mary Love who is active both with the Hamilton Chapter of the Council of Canadians and the Elders for Climate Sanity group of Hamilton 350 Committee. She noted that most of the local supply comes from fracking, and that it’s fossil origins and climate implications are obscured.

“Enbridge offers ‘Natural gas,’ but this is a totally misleading name for it,” warned Love. “It is anything but; the only thing natural about Enbridge’s product is that bringing more of it on‐stream in our area will mean that we naturally spend less of our focus on conservation of energy, as in working towards retrofitting all homes in our area, and that we will be more dependent on dirty fuel that fuels climate change and dooms our grandchildren.”