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Pipeline process ignores safest option

The Editor, The letter by John Winters of the BC Chamber of Commerce shows he has become a lapdog of the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC).

The Editor,

The letter by John Winters of the BC Chamber of Commerce shows he has become a lapdog of the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC).

He appears to support the irresponsible plan to send tankers of toxic and highly flammable jet fuel into the Fraser River, build a marine off loading terminal and a large tank farm of the banks of the Fraser River when safer alternatives are obvious.

It's immaterial to argue the airport generates economic benefits and YVR needs fuel to keep the planes flying. No one has ever questioned those issues. A safer fuel delivery system is the issue at stake.

Thousands of citizens, local governments, native bands and VAPOR asked VAFFC to abandon their proposal. The safest option has never been properly assessed by VAFFC.

Why do they insist on promoting a proposal similar to one in 1988 that was soundly rejected by the federal government in 1989?

For Mr. Winters to pretend the present review is thorough indicates he has not done his homework and shows little empathy for the environment and public safety issues.

The present B.C.-headed review is being done by a junior government on federal government mandates.

The federal part of the review is being done by Port Metro Vancouver who benefit from the proposal - a conflict of interest.

The appropriateness of the B.C. review is questionable. The process is piecemeal, incomplete with many studies not yet available and above all the B.C. process has a record for rubber stamping approvals on almost all projects reviewed. The B.C. Auditor General has criticized them for being unable to show they can enforce their own conditions of approval.

The BC Chamber of Commerce should do some basic research and not be used by the VAFFC to cover their questionable record of responsibility.

Otto E. Langer, MSc Richmond