Some Petroleum Analysts in the country are reported as saying that we are watching a minority basically block pipelines in this country that are the lifeline of our standard of living.

Environmentalists disagreed on this, however, and say there are strong reasons why pipelines are in question.

Peter Prebble is a Board Member of The Saskatchewan Environmental Society.

He says climate change is one of the main reasons pipelines are being blocked. He points out that oil sands operations are the most carbon-intensive form of fossil fuel extraction, and fossil fuels are going to have to be phased out globally, scientists say, shortly after the mid-century.

Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere, he says, have risen from 340 parts per million to over 400 parts per million over the past 35 years. And because carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping gas, this has pushed up global temperatures.

Prebble also says, "It needs to be recognized that there have been some really serious problems with pipeline spills, and the lack of adequate pipeline monitoring in the last few years in Canada. While shipping oil by pipeline is certainly safer than shipping it by rail, there can be significant negative environmental impacts associated with it."

Prebble adds that pipelines need to improve their ability to detect and clean up oil spills quickly.