Rex Murphy defends pipelines, oilsands at conference in Calgary

Rex Murphy delivered a keynote address to the International Pipeline Conference and Exposition as it got underway in Calgary on Tuesday.

The 11th-annual event, which draws over 1,200 pipeline professionals from around the world, is organized by volunteers with numerous energy companies, associations and regulatory agencies.

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The popular CBC commentator told conference attendees that Alberta's energy industry is regularly and unfairly attacked by members of the environmental movement.

"Fort McMurray has been the emblem and the symbol of all that is wrong," he said, adding that critics of the oilsands and opponents of new pipelines are blinded by their faith.

"It's called environmentalism for a reason it's an ideology."

But the high-tech innovations and environmentally responsible approaches to energy development and transportation that are being pursued in Alberta are achievements the whole country should be proud of, Murphy says.

The aim of the conference is to "share cutting- edge research and technological developments, innovations and solutions in the pipeline industry," its website says.

The conference runs until Sept. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Calgary.

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