Editor:
After attending Dr. Eoin Finn’s presentation about the Woodfibre LNG proposal last Thursday, the insanity of this project became abundantly clear.
Liquefying and storing methane, then loading tankers twice the size of BC Ferries’ vessels for shipment through our narrow sound, is only the first of numerous issues. Navigating through inhabited islands in often uncertain weather is a huge risk. According to Dr. Finn, the so-called safe zone around LNG tankers is a 1.6 km radius, which doesn’t exist in much of Howe Sound. The entire area would need to be cleared out when one of these behemoths passes through. Phenomenal risks abound — an accident could be catastrophic to all life in the Sound including nearby communities.
The financial benefits are meagre at best, since the offshore companies profiting will pay little to no taxes (write-off of high capital costs, numbered companies sending profits to hidden foreign accounts, etc.) and will provide only 100 jobs.
In spite of massive fracking in northeastern B.C., there is not enough gas yet to liquefy and store in this facility. The energy to convert the gas to liquid form is so extreme that flooding the rest of the Peace River Valley for the Site C dam wouldn’t provide enough energy for Woodfibre alone.
The citizens of B.C. heavily subsidize the fracking industry: massive amounts of water for free, little to no royalties, expensive infrastructure. This is not logical in the short or long term, since China, the recipient of this resource, has negotiated a deal with Russia, owner of the largest natural gas reserves in the world.
We need an immediate moratorium on further fracking in our province and instead promote geothermal, wind and solar alternatives. Please submit comments by July 27 to: www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/forms/woodfibre_lng_form and call our MLA and MP.
Gayle Neilson, Gibsons
