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Letter: Politicians fueled by ignorance

Dear Editor, Re: “City raises safety concerns over jet fuel plan,” News, Sept. 15. Why would Coun. Alexa Loo ever accept the worst case scenario where the B.C.
Sturgeon
Biologist Otto Langer says the erosion of Sturgeon Banks is symptomatic of the increasingly unguided, reactive management of the Fraser River caused, in part, by government cuts to programs and the scientific community.

Dear Editor,

Re: “City raises safety concerns over jet fuel plan,” News, Sept. 15.

Why would Coun. Alexa Loo ever accept the worst case scenario where the B.C. government has approved the airlines’ plan to ship supertankers and barges of jet fuel up the Fraser River, store it on the banks of the river near Watermania, SilverCity, Richmond Ice Centre and residential complexes and then send it by pipeline to YVR?

The promise of eliminating “thousands” of trucks hauling jet fuel over our streets is a red herring. Fuel needs could be readily provided by a pipeline installed from the nearby Cherry Point BP Refinery at and the Burnaby Chevron Refinery which currently supplies the airport with all of its jet fuel. These alternatives are cost effective, do-able and preferable. 

They would eliminate fuel transport trucks on the highway, cause a smaller carbon footprint, deliver more fuel more economically and keep tankers full of highly toxic and flammable jet fuel off all our waterways — a major accomplishment. These alternatives would better safeguard the safety and property of Richmond and Delta citizens and the river’s rich populations of wildlife and fish, including some of the world’s largest salmon runs.

It is obvious that the environmental and social concerns of this irresponsible jet fuel plan are low on the agenda of VAFFC and its 30 airline members, senior governments, the Airport Authority and Port Metro Vancouver.

Indeed, some three years ago a senior planner at YVR said he did not care if spills of jet fuel occurred into the Fraser River, noting “YVR has many black eyes and one more will not hurt them any more.” 

The environmental review of the project amounted to little less than a green wash using one of the weakest environmental review processes in Canada and the BC Supreme Court ruled that the province did not, at times, have to even meet that low bar test. 

As to the promise of jobs, neither airline nor airport jobs will be affected regardless of how fuel is delivered to the airport. What will be lost with the current proposal are jobs and access to local, refined fuel when our own crude oil is shipped offshore to be refined elsewhere. 

The goal of VAFFC is to provide the cheapest fuel from anywhere in the world and thus increase profits for member airlines. 

The long term interests of Canada and its citizens appear secondary except for providing a stable base of operations and customers for the airlines.

We need local politicians that will sit back and objectively question what the senior governments are now allowing after weakening environmental legislation and reviews to ineffective levels. 

With local politicians such as Alexa Loo, Alice Wong, Teresa Wat and John Yap protecting our future, little wonder our environmental quality and children’s future looks so bleak and continues to be sliding downhill fast.

Otto Langer

Fisheries biologist

Richmond