First Nations form united front against pipeline but there is no unity

  A total of 55 First Nations groups have formed a united front against a proposed pipeline that would bring oil from the province of Alberta's oil sands to the west coast port of Kitimat for export. However at one native group has signed an agreement with Enbridge the company who would build the proposed line.
    In a statement the First Nations group said:  "These First Nations form an unbroken wall of opposition from the U.S. border to the Arctic Ocean," The group said they would stop the pipeline legally or otherwise even putting themselves in the way of bulldozers.
   The costs of the pipeline is projected at around 5.5 billion. With the delay in the Keystone XL pipeline to the Texas coast there is more pressure to approve the Enbridge pipe line to the west coast. Completion of the line would make it much easier to export Canadian oil to Asian markets.
    Although the Northern Gateway project as it is called has been heavily criticized by environmentalists and many native groups at least one aboriginal nation has signed on to the project. The Gitxsan First Nation has taken an ownership stake in the project. The band hopes to make millions through its stake. The chief said:
“Over time we have established a relationship of trust with Enbridge, we have examined and assessed this project, and we believe it can be built and operated safely,” The company says that it is in negotiations with other first nations as well. For more see this article, and also here.