Lauren Ford
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bowen Island Municipality
March-30-15 9:49 AM
Lauren Ford
FW: Woodfibre LNG Processing & Export - Envionmental Assessment Office Comments
From: robb schultz Sent: March‐27‐15 8:18 PM To: Mayor Council Subject: Fwd: Woodfibre LNG Processing & Export ‐ Envionmental Assessment Office Comments Begin forwarded message:
From: robb schultz
Date: March 27, 2015 7:57:45 PM PDT (CA)
To: mayorandcouncil
Subject: Fwd: Woodfibre LNG Processing & Export - Envionmental Assessment Office
Comments
March 27, 2015
My letter was sent March 22 to BC EAO, Premier Clark, ENV Minister Polak
and Jordan Sturdy.
Bowen Mayor and Council and both our Bowen Islands Trustees have my full
support against Woodfibre LNG.
Sincerely,
Robb Schultz
_________________________________
Robb Schultz - Bowen Island, BC
March 22, 2015
Woodfibre LNG Processing and Export - Environmental
Assessment Office Comments - Concerns and Questions
I am very concerned about many negative impacts from the
proposed Woodfibre LNG Processing and Export
Application in Howe Sound.
My wife Bonny and I have lived as permanent residents on
Bowen Island for the past 42 years. We face Collingwood
Channel where we used to catch coho
salmon, until they became nearly extinct. For many years
industrial pollution was dumped from pulp mills, chemical
plants, the Britannia mine and other industries
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which sadly
polluted our waters, killng fish
and marine life throughout Howe Sound.
Surprisingly the past years have brought a steady
environmental clean-up of Howe Sound, assisted by
industrial plant closings which triggered the return of
herring, salmon, dolphins, killer whales, seals
and other sea life including a humpback
whale. One morning, I witnessed our first
humpback whale,
as it swam slowly past our home on Collingwood
Channel.
I have serious concerns and question the advisability of
Woodfibre LNG processing, storage and tanker traffic in
Howe Sound
The re-industrialization of Howe sound by the proponent's
Woodfibre LNG operations is simply unacceptable
because of environmental impacts, transportation conflicts,
recreational tourism impacts and safety constraints in
Howe Sound.
Woodfibre is not the right place for the proposed LNG
Operation.
My Specific Concerns:
1.
Marine Transportation Conflicts Between LNG
Tankers and BC Ferries, Pleasure Boats,
Tug & Barge Traffic, Log Tows,
Coastal Freighters, Cruise Ships in Howe
Sound.
There will be serious traffic and safety conflicts between
LNG Tanker traffic in Howe Sound and 60 BC Ferries
sailings a day.
In addition to BC Ferries, Howe Sound is used for work
boats such as tugboats pulling log barges, wood chip
barges, train and truck barges and log booms.
Also there are fish boats, water taxis, coastal freighters and
in summer months Alaska cruise ships pass on both the
East and West sides of Bowen Island.
These are exactly the same routes given for the LNG
Tanker traffic to and from Woodfibre LNG plant. Re2
routing existing traffic will be very costly and
inconvenient. Delaying or cancelling our BC Ferries are
not an option as the ferries are our life line.
Serious accidents with loss of life have happened in the
past and they can happen again in the future.
Howe Sound is already busy with growing boat traffic of
all sizes both day and night, summer and winter.
It is far too narrow a waterway to safely accommodate
LNG Tankers with or without safety exclusion zones
around them. Consider the risks to all existing
and future marine traffic in Howe Sound. Potential
marine collisions day and night are a
definite risk.
2. Re-fuelling LNG Tankers in Howe Sound
Re-fuelling LNG Tankers will bring loaded oil tankers and
barges into Howe with the potential for oil spills and
collisions.
3. Negative Environmental impacts of Seawater Cooling at
Woodfibre LNG Plant.
Natural gas cooling and compression, turning it into LNG,
requires massive amounts of energy, generating
tremendous heat.
The proponent plans on a cooling system using high
volume one time through seawater pumping.
The exit temperatures of used cooling water could go up by
10 degrees.
Also the pumping of millions of gallons of warmed sea
water back into the ocean will likely be fatal to fish and sea
life.
Fish and sea life are often sucked in and killed.
This entire process endangers aquatic species, fish, herring,
salmon, ground fish, marine mammals such as dolphins,
orcas, humpback whales
and birds including eagles. ducks, Canada geese, songbirds
as well as affecting terrestrial wildlife in the area.
Water cooling has been outlawed in California on waters
open to the Pacific Ocean, because of extreme
environmental damage to the fish and sea life there.
Chlorine expulsion along with the warmed sea water going
into Howe Sound will certainly not be acceptable.
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4. Flaring off excess gas from the LNG plant and from
storage tankers into the atmosphere causes unacceptable
visual and environmental pollution.
5. Negative Recreation & Tourism Impacts to Howe
Sound Region Will Be Caused by the Woodfibre LNG
Project.
Howe Sound and its communities welcome
recreational destination tourism. With close proximity to
millions of residents and
visitors from Metro Vancouver,
Howe Sound and the island community
businesses depend on recreation and tourism
throughout the year.
For example Sea to Sky Gondolas have
opened a year round tourist gondola,
restaurant, suspension bridge and hiking
trails by
The Chief Mountain Peak near
Squamish. The tourist view faces directly at
the Woodfibre LNG Proposed Site and
Tanker traffic with potentially
negative impacts. Recreational
Tourism is the most important industry in
our area.
Tourist recreation to Whistler Mountain, Squamish,
Lions Bay, the Howe Sound Islands and West Vancouver
will all be impacted negatively by this
LNG
Proposal.
Recreational boaters who visit us are increasingly
attracted to Howe Sound waters and we welcome them.
6.
Real estate values in Howe Sound and specifically
on Bowen Island will fall if LNG Tankers pass along some
25 miles of Bowen's shoreline properties.
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7.
West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lions Bay
Mayors and Councils have all passed resolutions against
the establishment of Woodfibre LNG Processing
and Export Tanker Project.
My Specific Questions to You:
1.
When and how is the Woodfibre Environmental
Impact Assessment Review going to address the negative
impacts stated in my Specific Concerns above
on the waters, fish, sealife, birds and other wildlife in
Howe Sound?
2.
When and how will your review address venting,
leakage and flaring of natural gas from the storage tanks,
the plant and tanker ships,
docked at Woodfibre LNG?
Isn't recycling this gas into LNG preferable to flaring
it off? Will the proponent be required to recycle it into
LNG again? If not then why not?
4.
Isn't it preferable to Air Cool the LNG processing
plant and not water cool it? Are you requiring them to
use Air Cooling? If not why not?
5.
What experience does Woodfibre LNG have in
designing, building, operating and financing an LNG
Processing Facility?
6.
Will BC earn any Royalties and taxes on this project
and if so, when will they accrue? If profits must be earned
before taxes or royalties can be levied,
what is to keep an offshore company like this from
paying a minimal tax on Woodfibre LNG Pte Singapore
offshore, thereby paying BC little or nothing?
Is it true that the BC Government will earn little or
no tax or royalty revenues for 15 years or much longer?
7.
What is this offshore company's reputation for
criminal tax evasion and avoidance? Why are we dealing
with them?
8.
Apparently this plant will be located directly along
an earthquake fault zone. Have they addressed this in their
submissions.
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What will happen to this operation in the event of an
earthquake and tidal wave?
9.
Summertime recreational marine traffic in Howe
Sound is the heaviest. When and how will Woodfibre
LNG provide your review, with a
detailed marine traffic inventory and marine traffic
study, including 60 BC Ferries sailings, Cruise Ship
Sailings to Alaska
via Howe Sound and the other marine traffic as set
out in my Specific Concern #1 above entitled:
"Transportation Conflicts Between LNG Tankers
and BC Ferries, Pleasure Boats,
Tug & Barge Traffic, Log Tows, Coastal Freighters,
Cruise Ships in Howe Sound."
10. What is the economic impact on real estate closely
bordering the 25 mile LNG Tanker route past
Bowen Island to the LNG processing and
export facility?
11. Fracking extraction and sulphur, propane and butane
removal for natural gas takes place before reaching LNG
processing and export plants. What is
the
environmental impact?
What is the risk of a Howe Sound natural
gas leakage or explosion and what would be
the impact on residents and visitors to Howe
Sound and to fish and
wildlife?
12.
Stated above are specific concerns and questions for the
BC Environmental Assessment Office.
I am opposed to this project and I'm seriously concerned
about all the potentially negative impacts of LNG
processing and LNG Tankers in Howe Sound.
Sincerely,
Robb Schultz
Bowen Island BC
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