Regarding the proposed coal port expansion on Texada Island
by Pebble in the Pond Environmental Society
To add your name to her letter (Deadline Sept.25), please email at saynotouscoal@gmail.com including your full name and address.She's also set up an online petition (Deadline Sept 25):
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/680/599/386/tell-powell-river-regional-district-to-say-no-to-coal-export-expansion-on-texada-island/#sign
Please pass this message along.
To the Board and Chair of the Powell River Regional District
September 15th, 2013I apologize for the lengthy report but I have a lot of information that I keep receiving on a daily basis that you may not have had the time to research on your own.
As you know Lafarge Canada has applied for a permit to expand its coal storage capacity on Texada Island. This seems like a simple case of the Regional District Board saying you support it as long as you add a disclaimer to the approval that it will be “subject to rigorous and ongoing environmental monitoring by the province to mitigate potential impacts of coal dust on human health and the marine environment.” But think very carefully before you make this public declaration of support to the world and take into consideration that there is much more to what you are effectively giving your stamp of approval to.
This project expansion is much more than simply increasing the amount of coal to be stored and transported through Texada and it is much more than the promise of a few jobs on Texada. By supporting this application you would be effectively supporting the supply and transport of the dirtiest thermal coal on the planet from Wyoming & Montana in the United States to China and other Asian markets encouraging the continued use of dirty coal energy production and turning the catastrophic air pollution levels in China to un-liveable levels with very little economic benefit to BC but with all the risks & environmental & health impacts attached to it on our end.
This is not Canadian coal that will be shipped with this expansion and it is not metallurgical coal that will be used to produce steel; it is US thermal coal, the dirtiest low-grade coal on the planet that the US no longer wants due to new federal regulatory changes towards a more sustainable future and none of the coastal ports in the US will ship it so they have turned to BC to be the coal transporters.
By supporting this permit application the Powell River Regional District will be going down in history as being the first and possibly only Regional District or Municipality to publicly endorse the expansion of thermal coal exports through the Pacific Northwest effectively making BC the largest exporter of coal in North America. According to an International Greenpeace study published in January 2013 titled “The Point of No Return; The Massive Climate Threats We Must Avoid”- “The US plans to export an additional 190 million tonnes of coal a year, mainly through the Pacific Northwest. This would add 420 million tonnes of CO2 a year to global emissions before 2020.” The report goes on to warn:
“The key to avoiding climate chaos is to act immediately to reduce emissions in this decade. Climate scientists calculate that the carbon that has already accumulated in the atmosphere will likely increase the average temperature by another 0.8ºC. Therefore, the room to maneuver to reduce emissions is getting smaller all the time, given the continued ineffective action of governments.”
And further in the report:
“Coal burned to produce electricity already pumps more CO2 into the atmosphere than any other source of conventional power. Coal-fired power plants are responsible for three-quarters of “locked in” emissions in the power sector. Coal burning also produces pollutants and toxic emissions that cause hundreds of thousands of deaths a year.”
By endorsing this expansion permit you are giving a clear message to all the residents of not only Powell River and Regional District but also to Sechelt and the Lower Sunshine Coast and everyone between Fraser Surrey Docks and Wyoming and Montana USA including Delta, Surrey and White Rock that you don’t care about the health, safety and environmental implications this expansion will cause to their communities when open rail cars nearly two miles long loaded with thermal coal will pass through their towns on a daily basis past parks, schools and housing developments creating not only increased respiratory conditions like asthma, lung cancer and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) due to not only coal dust blowing off the open rail cars because the dust-control agents are not very effective but also due to the diesel particulate matter from the massive increase in train traffic that they will have to live with on a daily basis. What are the economic implications of the side effects to these communities that effectively will come out of BC health care budgets?
By endorsing this expansion project you think you are giving the thumbs up to industry and the local economy but I can tell you from a reliable source who works for Lafarge on Texada “there would be no additional jobs created for the coal expansion. Two of the men currently working there would be up in a tower supervising/overseeing the automated coal handling equipment. They'd be taken from their regular jobs at the quarry. At the most, when the coal handling got as huge as expected, there would be at most one, or possibly two, new hires.”
The possibility of blowing coal dust contaminating our pristine air and water is not only a possibility but a likelihood if this project expansion proceeds. What do you imagine the economic implications will be to our area if the salmon die off because coal dust and run-off contaminates the foreshore around Texada and Lasqueti Island killing off the eel grass where the herring spawn? How do you think our Fishing or Tourism sectors will be affected if there are no fish, no shellfish, no marine life left in our waters? Will it be too late to take back your endorsement?
Fraser Surrey Docks has been ordered by Port Metro Vancouver to complete an environmental assessment of the expansion project assessing the health and ecological effects of this project. In addition Fraser Surrey Docks are significantly altering the coal handling in Surrey in response to concerns about the health impacts of open storage and coal dust dispersal.
Why are these same safeguards not being demanded of the project expansion on Texada Island and why are the same safeguards not going to be in place for the areas the open barges loaded with coal will pass through on their 12 hour journey between FSD and Texada Island or as they pass by three Provincial Parks? And is the Regional District Board aware that the environmental assessment being ordered by Port Metro Vancouver of Fraser Surrey Docks does not extend to the Straight of Georgia or Texada or Lasqueti Island?
Why are you not ensuring that any safeguards or requirements are in place? Are you really satisfied with the vague suggestion in your motion of assuming that the Province or some other authority will take care of your requirement “subject to rigorous and ongoing environmental monitoring by the province to mitigate potential impacts of coal dust on human health and the marine environment”?
You do realize that will not happen as we have seen at other coal shipping ports in BC such as Ridley Terminals in Prince Rupert that was recently accused of deliberately dumping coal into the ocean and allowing coal-laden water to cover the shoreline. Is that really as far as you are willing and able to go to protect our air, land and water? Do you really think there will be Provincial inspectors on-site on a consistent basis making sure operations are being strictly and safely carried out and that mishaps are not taking place?
Furthermore have you asked yourself why the coal is coming to BC? Could we possibly consider that our regulations in Canada are of a lower standard and they allow a back door for the US to use us as their exporter? These back-handed federal standards are currently allowing us to continue to ship asbestos for example, which is banned for use in Canada as a building material, and yet we are shipping it to overseas markets in mainly developing countries even though our own regulations ban it and we recognize that it is the number one cause of workplace related death in Canada and approximately 107,000 workers die each year in Canada alone from exposure to asbestos in the workplace.* And yet our federal regulations allow us to continue mining it and selling it to other countries. (*World Health Organization July 2010)
With the increase of tanker traffic to our area is an increased chance of a mishap like a tanker running aground in foul weather or due to mechanical failure causing a spill of diesel or oil in our waters. In a recent Globe and Mail article published Aug 25th “B.C. Environment Ministry bureaucrats voiced a range of misgivings for Environment Minister Mary Polak. “The Ministry of Environment, as the ministry responsible for preparedness, prevention, response and recovery for spills, is not adequately staffed and resourced to meet the existing and emerging expectations to address spills,” they wrote in the briefing book.
“Even a moderately-sized spill would overwhelm the province’s ability to respond and could result in a significant liability for government. The industry requirements, established by Transport Canada, are perceived as being insufficient in both scope and scale. For example, in both Washington State and Alaska industry requirements are far in excess of what is required in B.C.”
Do we really want to rely on the Province to look after safety and inspection or to put blind faith that an incident is handled efficiently and thoroughly when it does happen?
On July 22 2010 the Powell River Regional District formally adopted a Sustainability Charter for Powell River and Region that sets out parameters and guidelines for local government to utilize in making decisions that will affect the future of the community at large including the global community that is our planet.
As stated in the Charter:
“Practically, the Charter is very important to local government. It formally demonstrates an ongoing commitment to sustainability. The Charter will also set clear criteria that elected officials and staff of local governments can use to assess proposed projects.”
The following are some of the Charter Principles that absolutely direct the Regional District Board to not vote in favour of supporting a project such as coal export expansion.
Charter Principles
Principles are foundational statements that encapsulate the essence of sustainability. We will use them to guide us when deciding on priorities and actions. Higher priority principles are listed first:1. Recognize and respect Tla’amin Aboriginal rights, title and cultural history, and existing
agreements among governments
2. Recognize ecological limits. We begin with an understanding of the earth’s limited capacity
to support us, so we will design social and economic systems to recognize and respect
indicators of ecological stress.
3. Take the long view. Sustainability is both a journey and a destination. We will address
urgent issues while also setting long-term goals, adjusting our approach along the way.
4. Promote self-reliance. Sustainability recognizes that we are all part of a global community.
In the context of continued trade and links between communities, however, we will embrace
self-reliance as an important facet of long-term community health.
9. Manage uncertainty. Exercise caution: when in doubt about the impacts of a project or
initiative, we will take action to safeguard the environment and society.
10. Consider local and global sustainability. While the sustainability of our local community is
important, we will not forget that our actions and choices have impacts elsewhere, and act
accordingly.
When you further read the goals of the three pillars for the sustainability charter and especially the description of the healthy environment pillar it becomes clear that expanding coal exports in this region is not consistent with the charter in any way.
I would consider very heavily before voting to support this project whether the First Nations have been adequately consulted on this permit application and how they feel about putting their traditional territory at such great a risk when these Panamax single-hulled freighters with questionable safety records will be coming into our fragile waters, dumping their polluted bilge water brought over from China full of parasites, toxins and bacteria and contaminating our marine life here. I want you to weigh the responsibility very dearly on your shoulders and make sure you are prepared to live with the ramifications of this project going very wrong for our area and potentially threatening our salmon stocks and giving residents in our community increased incidents of asthma and lung disease not to mention threatening our tourism industry.
These are a few of the concerns. Considering Lafarge must resubmit their storm water plan, and has yet to submit an application under the Environmental Management Act explaining what waste (coal runoff) and what volume of said waste is involved; how can there possibly be enough necessary information to make an informed vote?
I hope you will seriously consider reversing your stance on this highly impactful project expansion and not endorse it publicly because this project is bad for the planet, bad for BC and potentially worse for Powell River and Region and if you endorse it now you can expect some very negative National media coverage which will not be good for Powell River’s image or future.
Please don’t let us go down in the history books as the community who turned a blind eye to our global ethical responsibilities and gave the green-light to one of the worst environmental energy projects of the century that could be one of the major causes of an irreversible shift in the climate change freefall that we might otherwise possibly avoid if we could just think in a more sustainable frame of mind locally and globally.
Sincerely,
CaroleAnn Leishman
founder of Pebble in the Pond Environmental Society, PR
2064 Ramsay Rd
Powell River BC V8A 0K4
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