Vancouver, BC – Enbridge is steamrolling ahead with its plan for a Tar Sands pipeline and crude oil tankers on the BC coast, despite strong public opposition.

The company filed its application for the controversial Northern Gateway mega-project today with the National Energy Board.

"We are extremely disappointed Enbridge has chosen to ignore the majority of British Columbians and coastal First Nations. Eight in ten British Columbians do not want crude oil tanker traffic in their coastal waters," said Nikki Skuce, Senior Energy Campaigner with ForestEthics. "This is an inherently unsustainable project that places BC's spectacular coast at imminent risk of a major oil spill."

"We are going to see an unprecedented uprising against this project," added Skuce. "Enbridge wants to turn a blind eye to the environmental conflict they're creating, but opposition to this project is widespread and people are not going to let it happen."

Skuce noted that Enbridge chose to file at a time when the southeast US is bracing for the devastating impacts of the BP oil spill.

"The Gulf spill is a turning point for all risky oil development projects. Enbridge's proposal is the way of the past, not the way of the future."

Enbridge's filing kicks off a federal review process that could take years.

"The National Energy Board review is a process run by the oil industry for the oil industry. It approves 99 percent of the projects it reviews and none of the panel members are from the region. How can communities place any faith that this process will protect their coast?" questioned Skuce.

Enbridge is proposing to bring oil supertankers into the same waters where the BC ferry Queen of the North sank in 2006.

Saturday, residents of Northwest BC will join First Nations in Kitamaat Village for a major gathering aimed at re-affirming opposition to the Enbridge project.