Open letter calls on BC to step up oil spill evacuation plan

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Dozens of health officials, Indigenous and environmental groups and municipal councilors who oppose the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion are calling on British Columbia to pressure the federal government to adopt a stronger oil spill response plan.

in a open letter sent Wednesday to British Columbia Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman, the groups maintain there is still no credible plan to handle the evacuation of coastal communities when the expanded pipeline begins operating.

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The signatories of the letter ask the minister to inform the federal government and the owner of TMX that no additional tankers will be allowed through the First and Second Straits in Vancouver until a credible plan is in place to protect people’s health and safety in the region of a Trans Mountain Pipeline oil spill.

Environment Minister George Heyman said the government is already working with the federal government on a security plan.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Heyman said that while spill response and shipping are constitutional areas of federal jurisdiction, the province continues to work with the federal government, provincial health authorities, local communities and the First Nations to ensure that a robust assessment of risks to human health is carried out. finished.

“This report will allow BC to ensure it is doing everything within our jurisdiction to protect people and continue to advocate with the federal government to ensure robust marine spill and response plans are in place, and the resources to implement them,” said. in the statement.

According to the BC government, BC communities are also required to have a local all-hazards emergency plan, including evacuation planning for earthquakes and spills.

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The letter says groups that would need to coordinate for a response to the spill, such as the coast guard, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, health authorities, the Metropolitan Vancouver Regional District and the West Coast Marine Response Corp., have not yet done so. met to plan a spill in Burrard Inlet.

However, the company plans to move forward. A Trans Mountain spokesperson said the project has gone through multiple federal and provincial regulatory reviews.

“Concerns about preventing and responding to offshore oil spills have been thoroughly analyzed and addressed through risk reviews and appropriate mitigation,” the company said in an emailed statement.

The environmental response to marine oil spills is under the jurisdiction and authority of the Canadian Coast Guard.

As part of the expansion project, Trans Mountain says it spent more than $150 million on a robust oil spill response regime. This included reducing response time and doubling the Western Canada Marine Response Corp. fleet, which would respond to a potential spill.

Both Heyman and former Premier John Horgan argued that there were gaps in the federal government’s oil spill response plan, including the lack of a transparent emergency towing strategy.

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In 2022, BC amended the conditions of its environmental assessment certificate for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and told the federal government it still has concerns about its response to potential marine oil spills.

Among British Columbia’s new conditions is a requirement that Trans Mountain, a federal Crown corporation, provide a report on health risks in the event of an offshore oil spill. It should identify measures to reduce human exposure and negative health effects and describe which authorities would be responsible.

Another condition requires Trans Mountain to provide a report with baseline data about the British Columbia coast in areas that could be affected by an oil spill, including Vancouver’s English Bay and the Strait of Georgia.

“We are gravely concerned about the environmental impacts of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion: both the incredibly harsh reality of a potential toxic spill and the impacts of increased daily tanker traffic on the marine ecosystem and increased greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse effect from increased fossil fuel extraction,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, said in a statement Wednesday.

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Vancouver County. Pete Fry, one of the signatories of the letter, drew comparisons to the container ship that lost power and destroyed one of Baltimore’s most important bridges.

“Accidents happen, even in a modern North American port,” Fry said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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