Tag Archives: Neptune Terminals

Environment, Finances

Do The Pacific Coast’s Climate Leaders Mean Business?

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By Roy L Hales

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On June 1, 2016, the Governors of Washington, Oregon and California joined British Columbia’s Environment Minister and representatives from six West Coast cities, in the Borgia Room of San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel, to sign what history may show was a key milestone in the struggle to mount a concerted defence against the ravages of global temperature rise. The 2016 Pacific Coast Climate Leadership Action Plan has a strong emphasis on issues like ocean acidification; the integration of clean energy into the power grid; “support for efforts by the insurance industry and regulatory system to highlight the economic costs of climate change; and so-called “super pollutants” (also known as short-lived climate pollutants).” This sounds good, but do the Pacific Coast’s “Climate Leaders” mean business?

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Environment

The Fight To Keep Coal From Fraser Surrey Docks

By Roy L Hales

As the people of Washington and Oregon turn their back on new coal port proposals, producers have turned to British Columbia. Neptune Terminals’ coal port capacity, in North Vancouver,  was doubled, without any public consultation and the city’s request for a health impact assessment was ignored. Resistance to the proposed coal terminal at Fraser Surrey docks was more determined. The  Port Authority carried out assessments before approving the project, but there has been grounds for believing the project was decided upon long before the  official outcome. Ecojustice has undertaken this case on behalf of Voters Taking Action Against Climate Change and Communities and Coal. This morning I’m interviewing Ecojustice lawyer Karen Campbell about the fight to keep coal from Fraser Surrey Docks

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Environment

Port Metro Vancouver still Waiting on Information from Surrey Fraser Docks

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By Roy L Hales

Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) is not ready to make a decision regarding Surrey Fraser Dock’s application to build a Direct Transfer Facility to handle up to 4 million metric tonnes of coal at their facility in Surrey, B.C.

In a press release issued today, The Port said there are areas that it will “require further information (from Surrey Fraser Docks) , particularly around the assessment of the potential effects of the project on human health.”

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Environment

A MUST SEE Climate Change video: “Save the Salish Sea”

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While most of us are attempting to do away with fossil fuels, British Columbia is trying to ramp up production. Some plan to make this most beautiful of Canadian provinces a major exporter of American coal and tar sands bitumen. One of the most promising natural gas fields in the world is in the north eastern corner of our province. Some aspects of this have been well publicized in the Canadian media, as every level of government – from our Prime Minister, to the Premier of BC, to individual municipalities – are involved. The Wilderness Committee have provided the best overview, a must-see Climate Change video: “Save the Salish Sea.”

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Environment

Coal Train Derailment Highlights Need For More Oversight Of Port Expansion

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Vancouver — Heavy rain may have caused a 152-car coal train, heading for Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, to derail in Burnaby this afternoon. Seven cars went off the tracks near Government and Cariboo Roads, near Burnaby Lake. Three of the cars spilled their loads.  As you can see from the photo above, at least one of these emptied its load into a protected waterway. No one was injured.

Emily Hamer, a spokeswoman for CN, said she did not know how much of the coal went into the water or whether CP or CN, which owns the tracks, is responsible for the derailment of the 152-car train.

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