Dear Editor,
Who has the time, energy and expertise to analyze the thousands of pages of information regarding the proposed Woodfibre LNG plant in Squamish? The deadline for comments is March 23 so I’ve decided to focus my attention on the public health and safety issues because tankers, the size of aircraft carriers, carrying a hazardous cargo could be travelling between Horseshoe Bay and my home in Miller’s Landing by 2017.
Resource Works, the organization that came to Council last week and offered to give a presentation to create a “fact-based” conversation on LNG, has put out a 6 minute video titles ‘Floating Disaster? LNG Tankers and the Reality of Risk’.
The video interviews Mike Hightower from the Sandia Institute, which wrote a now often-sited report on the risks associated with the LNG industry. Hightower describes a scenario where a vapor cloud from an intentional breach could travel as far as two miles from an LNG tanker before igniting and ‘blasting back’ to the source.
While he states that it would be hard to cause the damage to an LNG tanker that would cause this kind of scenario, my concerns remain. My daughter attends Bowen Island Community School which would fall within this 2 mile hazard zone so naturally I have a few questions:
- The risk analysis report recommends building safe shelters, installing warning signals and ensuring adequate emergency response training and equipment be in place for populations at risk in hazard zones. Will our Province and other elected officials insist these world class safety measures be implemented on Bowen Island?
- Would this vapor cloud displace oxygen in the air before ‘blasting back’? If so will Woodfibre be providing each child, teacher and support staff with appropriate breathing apparatus/gas masks along with adequate training?
- How hot is the ‘blast’ mentioned in the video that would pass by our children within 1 to 2 seconds?
Some people will say the chances are low that an accident or terrorist incident will occur and this may be true. However, the consequences are high. We can follow the recommendations…. Or not.
Comments can be made before March 23 deadline at: http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca
Janine Brossard
