Opposition’s Reaction to Natural Gas Pipeline Bomber
Since October of 2008, six bombs of exploded in an effort to push Canada’s largest natural gas producer, EnCana out of the Tomslake and Kelly Lake districts that border the British Columbia/Alberta border.
The bombing of pipelines in this community is not a new occurrence. In 2001, a local farmer named Wiebo Ludwig was convicted of “bombing and vandalizing oil and gas installations near his family farm in Hythe, Alta.”1 He was subsequently imprisoned for over a year.
Mr. Ludwig was not the only person in the small communities that surround the pipeline to be upset with EnCana’s operations. Even the mayor Lyman Clark of Pouce Coupe, the center of the recent bombings, admitted that people in the town dislike the company: “It’s assumed that because it’s big, EnCana is out to screw everybody”2, “Yes, there is animosity to some degree.”3 “I do hear rumblings about the noise and the dust — when they’re drilling, those things are quite noisy.”4
The Opposition
Though the mayor understands much of where his voting base is coming from on this issue, he also understands that “[EnCana is] the biggest bear in the barn, that’s for sure.”5 Beyond that, his rhetoric has also been very supportive of the company’s operations calling the disturbances they cause “ the price we pay for progress”6
Clearly, EnCana itself has a stake in opposing and stopping the bombings. At least one explosion-caused leak took two days to stop7 with no report of exactly how much gas was lost. In addition, the company has hired private security guards but the number of hired security is unknown.8 What is known is that the damage done by the attacks themselves, negative publicity, or the threat of either one warranted the company to post a C$1 million reward for information on the bomber.9
As a result of the bombings, Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been investigating the attacks. “At least 250 members of INSET – including masked men with high-powered machine guns and a sniper flown back directly from Afghanistan – have descended on the Peace River region of northeastern British Columbia.”10 The Canadian security force now too has a stake in stopping the bombings.
Framing the Issue
The opposition (the local government, EnCana, and security forces) generally have the same interests on this issue: ending the bombings. Some interests do vary, principally the local government must also appeal to voters. Whereas the security forces and EnCana operate with minimal public support.
EnCana has mainly directed its efforts to increasing security at the pipeline (with the help of the state security forces11) and by trying to turn the public against the bombings in order for them to give forth information about the bomber. One way of doing that was by offering a hefty reward. Another way was by using the local and national media to reframe the issue.
EnCana’s hired spokespeople Alan Boras and Rhona DelFrari have been quoted in newspapers saying:
“Nobody has been injured [in any of the bombings] but we never know what could happen if this continues in the future.”12
“It’s very stressful for residents in the area and for EnCana employees and we really hope that if this was caused by someone, that this person realizes that this is dangerous and that it stop.”13
“If this was set deliberately it’s very frustrating for us. Fortunately no one was hurt”14
“These attacks aren’t just against EnCana, they are against the entire community”15
“We are becoming increasingly frustrated by this because it’s becoming a risk to the public.”16
“This isn’t just an attack on EnCana as a corporation. This person is putting everyone’s lives in risk right now.”17
“it’s very encouraging if people are calling in and providing tips because, really, it’s the whole community that’s being targeted now.”18
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk has been the central spokesman for the state’s security apparatus on this issue. He has been quoted as saying:
“I think if somebody comes forward then I think there’s a little bit of strength in numbers.”19
“ heightened concern for public safety, given that this explosion went off in close proximity of working crews and within a couple of kilometers of a populated rural area”20
“ as a result of the messaging we put out and the concern from the public . . . people have started phoning in”21
“ I think, with the endangerment to EnCana workers that were on the ground, these are somebody’s family members, and that may have raised the ire of the community.”22
“We are dealing with domestic terrorism”23
Some of the local government officials, particularly Mayor Lyman Clark of Pouce Coupe and Mayor Mike Bernier of Dawson Creek had this to say to the newspapers:
“There are people who have aggravation with the oil companies and their big trucks and their dust and yes, there is a little animosity on their part. There are people who grumble and there are people who accept this as the price we pay for progress.”24
“ There are plenty of people here who would turn in anyone if they thought they could get half a million dollars”25 (At one point the reward was set to half a million dollars and then later doubled.)
In regards to the explosions hurting someone: “Whether it’s to the bombers themselves — whether that’s one or more people, we still don’t know — or whether it’s to a worker . . . that’s what scares us.”26
“The mayor added he’s convinced “somebody” in the region “knows something” that could lead police to a suspect.”27
“I think the message has been lost…I don’t think [the bombers] have any support. The first couple of times there were people in the community who were frustrated with the oil and gas activity going on in the area. Now it’s got to the point where even those people are just angry with the bombings.”28
“I know plenty of people who would like to find him in action”29
The key figures of the opposition have all used more or less the same rhetoric to achieve their objectives. They do this by framing the event in a way favorable to them:
A) Isolate the community from the bomber(s): “I think the message has been lost…I don’t think they have any support.”
B) Frame the issue as a public danger as opposed to a corporate danger: “This isn’t just an attack on EnCana as a corporation. This person is putting everyone’s lives in risk right now.”
C) Associate the bombing with an existing negative notion: “ We are dealing with domestic terrorism”
To use these three frames allows the opposition to try to gain a crucial aspect in this conflict: the support of the community. While it appears as though the community was somewhat split with the initial news of the bombing, the opposition tried to frame the issue to get the community on their side and to oppose the bombings for several reasons:
A) For the entire opposition, there was a desire to capture the bomber(s).
B) For EnCana, it was important to turn the public against the idea of bombing in order to lessen future attacks.
C) For the local government it was both important to help EnCana as well as please the voters.
Because the city government had a slightly different motivation from the company and the security forces, their rhetoric also showed some difference in how it tried to relate to the community about the grievances against EnCana. In addition, they tried to frame the communities grievances and the bombers grievances as different:
“It just doesn’t make sense any more. We have no idea what they are thinking. They’re just out being stupid and doing vandalism and we have no idea why”30″
As far as they are concerned, the opposition holds the power to frame the issue considering that the bomber(s) has only written two letters to newspapers allowing themselves to state their grievances. In addition, newspapers have rarely reported on similar grievances held by other residence nor do they typically bring up the reasons stated in the letters for bombing the pipeline.
For those of you who are interested, a scholar on radical environmentalism from Alberta has stated that he believes the bomber is a Right-wing extremist who likely lives in the area and perhaps is a disgruntled (ex-)employee of EnCana similar to Wiebo Ludwig31
1. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1780124
2. ibid
3. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090702/EnCana_explosion_090702?hub=Canada
4. ibid.
5. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1780124
6. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/660831
7. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090702/EnCana_explosion_090702?hub=Canada
8.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48242
9. ibid
10. ibid
11. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/04/Canadian-gas-pipeline-hit-by-6th-bomb/UPI-77011246758206/
12. Sunny Dhillon Globe and Mail Jul. 01, 2009
13. Ibid.
14. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/04/Canadian-gas-pipeline-hit-by-6th-bomb/UPI-77011246758206/
15. ibid
16. ibid
17. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/second-bomb-hits-encana-pipeline-49971602.html
18. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1765065
19. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/second-bomb-hits-encana-pipeline-49971602.html
20. http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20090705200672/local/news/pipeline-bomber-strikes-again.html
21. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1765065
22. Ibid.
23. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/04/Canadian-gas-pipeline-hit-by-6th-bomb/UPI-77011246758206/
24. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/660831
25. ibid.
26. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1761885
27. ibid.
28. ibid.
29. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1780124
30. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1761885
31. http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:dTOUayBCOfgJ:chenangogreens.org/home/index2.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26do_pdf%3D1%26id%3D400+pouce+coupe+pipelines&hl=en&gl=us
