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B. C. Waters Crude Oil Chronicle |
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| Preparing Vancouverites for the inevitable crude oil spill between the Kinder Morgan Westridge Terminal in Burnaby, B.C. , across the water from Cates Park in North Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean. | February 8, 2010 |
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Crude oil tankers in BurnabyAfter his tanker is loaded with over 20 million gallons of Alberta crude oil at the Kinder Morgan Westridge terminal in Burnaby, the next challenge for the captain will be to manouver the tanker under the Second Narrows railway bridge, which is on the east side of the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. The supports of this railway bridge in the narrows are about 500 feet apart. The tanker is 100 feet wide and 1000 feet long. There are presently about two crude oil tankers leaving Burnaby for the Pacific every week.
The captain then steers his tanker, full of over 20 million gallons on Alberta crude oil, through Burrard Inlet, under the Lions Gate Bridge, around Stanley Park, past the English Bay beaches, through the "protected " Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands, beyond Victoria and on to the Pacific. |
If a tanket bumps into one of the supports holding up the railway bridge, whatt will happen?  |
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Problem: |
The shipmenmt of crude oil through our coastal waters is endangering our habitat, including tourism, fishing, whale watching, etc. | |
Solution: |
Ban the export of crude oil from Canada.The United States did it in 1975 when they banned the export of crude oil from Alaska. Congress authorized construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline system during the crisis caused by the 1973 Arab oil embargo. In part because of expert lobbying by the maritime industry, the act that authorized the construction of the pipeline also prohibits the export of Alaskan oil in order to ensure "energy independence. Until 1995, Alaska North Slope crude could not be legally exported, and the export ban contributed to a West Coast oil glut, reducing the price received by North Slope producers. Oil is exported from other oil-producing states with no prohibitions, however. Since mid-2000, no oil has been exported to foreign countries from Alaska. |
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RECENT NEWS |
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February 8 , 2010Alaska beaches still have oil from 1989 spillAn estimated 20,000 gallons of crude oil remain trapped in the gravelly beaches of Prince William Sound, Alaska, long after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Pictured is crude oil trapped on a rocky beach shortly after the Exxon Valdez tanker spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound in March, 1989. About 20,000 gallons of the oil remains 20 years later. Jack Smith/AP/file
January 24, 2010Collision Causes Crude Oil Spill in TexasHOUSTON—A collision between an oil tanker bound for Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Beaumont refinery and an outbound vessel towing barges resulted in a major crude-oil spill in the port of Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard says about 450,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled into the Port of Port Arthur area in southeast Texas after two vessels collided. Video courtesy of Fox News. The spill occurred when a 600-foot oil tanker collided with a towing vessel in the port area of Port Arthur. The collision left a 15-by-8-foot hole in the tanker. No injuries were reported. Hundreds clean up Texas oil spillAbout 500 responders on the water and in the command post worked overnight to contain the spill. Nearly 46,000 feet of plastic walls known as booms and 15 oil-sucking skimmer boats were in the water, Ranel said. The Eagle Otome collided with a towing vessel pushing two barges on Saturday, leaving a 15-foot-by-8-foot hole in the tanker. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard are investigating. The Eagle Otome is owned by AET Tankers, a Malaysian company with offices in Houston.
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BCWaters.orgInforming you about the destruction* of the waters and beaches of beautiful British Columbia* History has shown us that a major spill is not a matter of "IF" but "WHEN."
In case you didn't know, crude oil from the Alberta tar sands that has been pumped to the refineries in Burnaby, B.C. is also being pumped into supertankers at the Westridge port in Burnaby, for shipment through Burrard Inlet, around Stanley Park, into Georgia Strait, passing by the Gulf Islands and downtown Victoria into the Strait of Juan de Fuca to enter the Pacific Ocean. The number of tankers loading at the Burnaby Westridge Terminal has gone from none in 2000 to 34 in 2007. Kinder Morgan is in the midst of expanding its pipeline to Burnaby from 260,000 to 300,000 barrels per day. I have recently (May, 2009) observed 2 tankers per week loading at Westridge Treminal, each one leaving Burrard Inlet loaded with 500,000 barrels or 21 million gallons of Albverta crude oil. Statistics Canada reported on November 26, 2007:
I, Bill Gannon, CMA, prepared the above risk assessment and delivered it to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, with copies to those listed below.See below for their Response to Risk Assessment |
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It's happening! If we don't stop them now, we never will. |
| DON'T LET THE OILMEN TURN B.C. INTO ALBERTA'S BACK ALLEY!WE NEED A LAW TO STOP THEM!Our government cannot stop them unless there is a law.You can help to make the law:Ban the export of crude oil through B.C. watersWhat YOU can do
WE MUST BAN THE EXPORT OF CRUDE OIL THROUGH B.C. WATERS!
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Don't let them do it, we can STOP THEM! |
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You can help to support the overhead of this website by purchasing any number of the MadAdder talking, printing calculators here. A talking, printing calculator is useful, makes a great gift and is tax deductible if the calculator is used for business purposes or given as a gift for business promotion purposess.. |
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Publiher and Editor: Bill Gannon, CMA |