By Roy L Hales

Building a major LNG terminal in Delta would have a major impact on the mouth of the Fraser River.  The diaphragm at the top of this page shows how LNG tankers would come into, and leave, the proposed WesPack Tilbury Marine Jetty. Even with the help of tugboats, they need most of the Fraser River’s width to turn around.  The National Energy Board has already granted an export license for a facility that could bring up to 120 LNG tankers and 90 LNG barges to this terminal every year. In the US, LNG proponents need to assess potential hazards all along LNG tanker routes, but the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is considering waiving an environmental assessment. The public comment period on this project is almost over,  you have two days left to ask for an environmental review.

The map to the right, from Real LNG Hearings.com, shows the extent of the hazard area if there was an explosion. Note the red line, which goes out the Fraser and along the tanker route. This is a band 500 meters wide depicting “extreme hazard of combustion and thermal damage from pool fire if evaporating LNG is ignited.  Cryogenic burns and structural damage from exposure to supercooled LNG. Asphyxiation hazard for those exposed to expanding LNG vapor plume.” Though the degree of danger is less, there could be additional explosions anywhere within the blue zone if the LNG vapour cloud makes contact with a source of ignition. 

“Whether we’re LNG supporters or not, we probably all agree that major projects like this need careful review.  However in this case public notification has been negligible, the comment period is absurdly short, and fundamentally important questions  — like whether it makes any sense to build a LNG terminal on a narrow, heavily trafficked river — haven’t even been asked,”said Kevin Washbrook for Voters Taking Action on Climate Change.

Please write to federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq today, via the  Real Hearings website, to require a proper level of LNG risk assessment is done in BC.

For further information about this project, go to:

• “Eight Days to Comment on Delta’s Proposed LNG Terminal,” @ The ECOreport
• “LNG on the Fraser? That needs a full federal environmental assessment!” @ Real LNG Hearings.com
• “WesPac Tilbury Marine Jetty Project Tilbury Island, Delta, BC” @  the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency website

Top Photo Credit: How LNG Tankers would turn from from WesPac Tilbury Marine Jetty Project Project Description CEAA Summary