RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Permit Application...
"Port Alberni is receptive to having a port facility for shipping coal."
That should be qualified. The City of Port Alberni Mayor and Council has been receptive as have the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce and Port Authority. And in the case of the Port Authority are required by law to facilitate the project and make efforts to see the project through. None of these bodies have any power to block the project even if they wanted to, so their opinion is very much symbolic.
Multiple surveys done by both Business and Environmental groups in town have shown that the citizens of Port Alberni themselves are much more split on the issue, especially those that are younger and/or newer to the area. The greatest concern has been the truck traffic and I've been personally told by some folks who are currently working towards getting a new highway or railway built, and who you'd normally think of as 'pro-coal' actually say they'll be "on the truck blockade" if they start coming over the hump under Ravens current plan.
So again, saying "Port Alberni is receptive" does not do much in terms of actually expressing how people actually feel.
" If Port Alberni is desperate for business then it is more likely that they will accept CEC's terms, don't you think? "
That sounds like more of a threat then an opportunity.
"CEC wants a coal port in Port Alberni, it is a part of their plan and they have budgeted the money to develop it. Althugh, there are other shipping options if the Port Alberni option fails. Quinsam Coal ships their coal from Campbell River."
No they don't. They truck it to a small site in Campbell River where it is then loaded onto a small barge that takes it to the main (open) storage facility on Texada Island where it is then loaded onto ships. Their annual production is only around 520,000 tonnes. The low estimate for Raven is 820,000 and max of over 1 million tonnes. So at maximum Quinsam would run 34 trucks a day to Ravens 53 to 72 per day. I happen to think double the traffic IS a big difference.
At this point though with the guidelines set, any change in export point would require a full restart of the EA process, so i think Port Alberni is very much 'locked in'.
'I have also heard many objections and concerns about the increased bulk carrier coal truck traffic over the road from the mine to Port Alberni. I doubt whether this should be a concern. Quinsam coal, in Campbell River, ships their coal by bulk carrier and have been for over twenty years.'
The traffic on Highway 28 to Gold River is nothing like Highway 4 and Quinsam produces far less than what is proposed for Raven. The most recent data from the BC Ministry of Transportation shows that Raven Coal, at 60 trucks a day, would increase truck traffic on Highway 4 by 40% overall. That is a huge increase. And since it will be 24/7/365 it also represents a constant traffic that is unprecedented on Highway 4. This is why the West Coast Chamber of Commerce in Tofino is very much opposed to the mine, they are very worried about the truck traffic choking out visitors to the Pacific Rim, which is a multi-million dollar business both in Winter and Summer.
"The trucks travel along the first part of the Gold River highway that is known for its twisting and turning, it's poor condition in winter and the constant traffic. And, not only that, the trucks must negotiate down a steep hill with full loads to the coal port in Campbell River. Yet there has not been a single incident or accident along that route. "
There have been many accidents of existing truck traffic on Highway 4. It is a more difficult, and travelled, route than Highway 28. Currently 300 trucks a day run on the highway amongst 9500 other vehicles.
The latest BC MoT data shows only 2600 vehicles a day use Highway 28