Resolution No. 4 Supporting the Unifor Energy Sector’s “Keep it in the Pipe” Campaign

Unifor National will:

Support Unifor energy sector’s Keep it in the Pipe campaign for the reduction of methane leaks along Canada’s natural gas infrastructure and for that campaign to include:

1. Lobbying governments to convene meetings with companies along the gas supply chain and their unions to examine the issue of methane leaks.
2. Producing public education materials on natural gas, related chemical products, and methane leak mitigation.
3. Lobbying for resources for NRCan and National Research Council to assist in the deployment of established technology and development of new technology in identifying and limiting leaks along the gas supply chain.
4. Publically promoting reguations enforcing and financial support for mitigation technology in all sizes of companies through hiring and training union workers.
5. Supporting union representation of gas supply chain workers inclusion in development and refining regulations.

Because:

• Many natural gas companies are reducing investment in methane leak identification and mitigation along their infrastructure.
• Methane is considered toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) and listed under the List of Toxic Substances.
• Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) and it has a global warming potential that is more than 70 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2), over a 20-year period.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are air pollutants that are linked to adverse human health impacts, such as premature death, chronic and short-term respiratory and cardiac
• Reducing methane and VOCs release along the gas production and supply chain will reduce climate change impacts and provide better air quality for Canadians and outdoor workers who are significantly more affected by poor outdoor air quality.
• In house, Unifor members are professional, highly skilled workers in the natural gas and chemical products sector and are better placed to identify and fix issues or leaks in our infrastructure than contractors.

Respectfully Submitted by: Local 975