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Anti-jet fuel team draft new ally in fight to stop Richmond pipeline

The campaign aimed at halting the controversial jet fuel pipeline through Richmond has found a new ally.

The campaign aimed at halting the controversial jet fuel pipeline through Richmond has found a new ally.

VAPOR (Vancouver Airport Pipeline Opposition Richmond) this week handed over a near 6,000-signature petition to Fisheries and Oceans critic Fin Donnelly.

Donnelly - the NDP MP for New Westminster, Coquitlam and Port Moody - will now take VAPOR's message and petition to Ottawa and present it to the House.

Donnelly, who has long supported moves to protect the Fraser River estuary, has promised to air the campaign and petition as much as possible in Ottawa.

He was invited into to lend his weight to the campaign by Richmond biologist and VAPOR co-founder Otto Langer, who has known Donnelly for many years.

"The issues we raised go well beyond the local community and affects all Canadians _ (for example) where is the federal government when it comes to protecting our environment, property and public safety," Langer said in an e-mail to the News.

"Accordingly, we had Fin Donnelly _ say a few words and accept the presentation of three large volumes of a petition with 5,500 signatures on it opposing the proposal to ship toxic and flammable jet fuel into the Fraser River estuary and urge a more environmentally friendly option to deliver fuel to YVR."

Donnelly said the estuary is critical and if there are plans such as the one being proposed, he wants to make sure no stone is left unturned.

"I've been brought up to speed (on VAFFC's plan) and it warrants a federal review," Donnelly told the News.

"I think I can draw attention to the issue and raise it in the House, where I'll be presenting three volumes of petitions and I'll be letting the government know that this is an issue that affects many communities."

Donnelly said he's eager for the potential impact of fuel spills in the river to be further explored.

"It's my job to draw as much attention to this as possible and call for all appropriate reviews to be carried out."

Langer and VAPOR's preference is to have the current pipeline from a Burnaby refinery upgraded or a new pipeline running all the way from Cherry Point in Washington State.

A consortium of airlines - collectively known as VAFFC (Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation) - says the current supply to YVR is outdated and unreliable to meet future growth.

VAFFC had proposed to barge jet fuel up the south arm of the Fraser to an off-loading facility in southeast Richmond and then pipe it through some residential areas of the city to the airport.

The plan was being examined by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) until its review was postponed when the consortium offered look at other options, including routing the pipe parallel to Highway 99 to avoid residential areas.

The BCEAO is now waiting on the consortium to re-submit its proposal before continuing the review.

Langer added that a similar project to the one proposed was rejected after a federal review in 1998 and VAPOR wants whatever plan VAFFC come up with to be subject to the same national scrutiny, as opposed to the current provincial body.