This doesnt change a thing and well continue to fight.
Thats the message from Richmond-born protest group VAPOR, after the consortium of airlines its battling revised its plan to instead route a 15-kilometre pipe carrying jet fuel along Highway 99 to VYR.
Part of the consortiums original plan which includes barging the fuel up the south arm of the Fraser River to a marine off-loading facility in southeast Richmond was to run the pipe under residential areas of the city to the airport.
After opposition, including that of the City of Richmond and VAPOR (Vancouver Airport Pipeline Opposition for Richmond), the consortium known as VAFFC said last fall it would look at other options.
VAFFC ran an advert in a local newspaper this week, stating the preferred route of the pipe is now along the highway and the plan will now be resubmitted to the provinces environmental assessment office for consideration.
But VAFFCs gesture to reroute the pipe hasnt appeased or fooled VAPOR, which believes the route of the pipe was one big smokescreen.
The whole were going to study other options thing was never going to happen, said VAPORs Carol Day.
Those three other options (an upgrade of the existing pipeline from Burnaby; an offshore Sea Island terminal and a Fraser River north arm barge facility) were all nonsense, I dont think they had any intention of seriously looking at them.
The whole process is not designed for public input, its designed to put people off.
Day said VAPOR suspected from early on in the process that routing the pipe through residential Richmond and then switching it to the highway was merely a ploy to make it look like VAFFC were compromising.
Nevertheless, we will continue to oppose this because the pipeline route was just a small part of our opposition, added Day.
Barging the fuel up the river and off-loading it in Richmond formed most of our opposition and we will continue to fight this.
There might be a deadline for submissions from the public, but deadlines dont seem to apply to VAFFC, so they wont affect us.
Day said VAPOR intend to drum up as much opposition as possible by holding a public information night and fundraiser soon.
The consortium said a new fuel delivery plan is vital to cope with future growth at YVR and that the current system of piping fuel in from a Burnaby refinery and by road from Washington State is not reliable.
VAFFCs original application was being looked at by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) until its review was suspended last year on request of the consortium, so it could consider running the pipe up Highway 99, as opposed to through residential Richmond.
Richmond city council which has no official say on the matter has vehemently opposed the plan from the outset.
People can start commenting on VAFFCs addendum starting Jan. 11, with the comment period ending Feb. 1. All comments will be considered by the BCEAO.
