Port Metro Vancouver approves Fraser Surrey Docks plan to ship coal by barge to Texada Island
Port Metro Vancouver this morning gave its approval for Fraser Surrey Docks to unload trains full of US coal and load it onto barges that will bring it to Texada Island, past the Sunshine Coast and Lasqueti. The coal will be unloaded and stored until there is enough to fill a large bulk carrier, at which time it will be loaded and shipped to China to be burned.
Lafarge on Texada has already received a permit from BC Ministry of Mines to operate, though this is being challenged in court, because it isn't a mine and proper approval should be given by Ministry of Environment.
Here is a link to the announcement, along with some unanswered questions, I think from people at Voters Taking Action on Climate Change (vtac.org):
If you have concerns about this, please voice them in the media and to government, loud and often and soon. If there is a storm of protest, they might hesitate to spend all the money to install the expensive infrastructure that will be needed for this inefficient, multiple-handling plan.
Unanswered questions, which I've been putting out to reporters:
1. PMV said that FSD was going to complete further health studies, send them into the Port, and then the port would send them on to Golder for external third party review. Has this process happened?
2. There are unanswered questions about flaws in the Fire Safety Plan for the project. Specifically, the Fire Safety Plan hasn't been updated since the on site coal stock pile was removed from the plans, in September of 2013. Without the on site stock pile, when bad weather, coal will likely be stored in open coal barges in Metro Vancouver communities. The US thermal coal that will be handled by FSD is known to self combust -- including in barges. How has this risk been assessed?
3. The Independent Interagency Review Committee set up by local municipalities, Metro, the Health Authorities and so on has called repeatedly for an independent study of project health risks. Why hasn't PMV listened to these local concerns?
4.
Comments
Post new comment