Discussion:
Did Kinder Morgan just blink ?
(too old to reply)
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-08 23:36:03 UTC
Permalink
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan blink?
___________________________________

CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2018 3:48 PM

Kinder Morgan puts brakes on 'non-essential' Trans Mountain activities
'A company cannot resolve differences between governments'


Kinder Morgan is suspending "non-essential activities" and related spending for the Trans Mountain pipeline project, citing ongoing opposition from the British Columbia government.

"In the current environment, we will not put [Kinder Morgan] shareholders at risk on the remaining project spend," Steve Kean, Kinder Morgan's chair and chief executive officer, said in a press release Sunday afternoon.

The company said it will, however, consult with stakeholders in an effort to reach agreements before May 31 that could allow the pipeline project to proceed.

The pipeline project has support from the federal government, as well as the provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the May 31 deadline imposed by Kinder Morgan is a serious concern for Alberta, but said she is confident that the expanded pipeline will be built.

Notley said she can understand the frustration of the Houston-based board with "not knowing how many more legal fronts they need to fight."

But she added that this pipeline is so important to Alberta that the province would consider becoming a co-owner. "Alberta," Notley said, "is prepared to be an investor in the pipeline."

Notley had strong words for both the federal government and for B.C. Premier John Horgan.

The federal government has delivered what she called "concrete" assistance to other Canadian sectors, such as the aerospace industry, and Notley said it's time the federal government stepped up to provide concrete action for the energy industry.


Continues tensions with B.C.

"We are calling on the federal government to act on behalf of Alberta and the pipelines," she said.

As for Horgan, she said B.C.'s continued resistance will not go unanswered. Legislation will be introduced in coming days that will have "serious economic consequences" for B.C., she said.

"Maybe the B.C. government feels they can mess with Texas — and maybe they can. But let me be clear, they can't mess with Alberta."

Notley had been planning to travel to New York as part of her push to get the Trans Mountain pipeline built, but that leg of the trip has now been cancelled.

On a swing through western Canada this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly cited his government's backing of the pipeline.

The company said that the active opposition from B.C. and its premier John Horgan is not something it can deal with and it needs to take action to protect its shareholders.

A statement from federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr on Sunday urged the B.C. government to "end all threats of delay" to the pipeline expansion.

"His government's actions stand to harm the entire Canadian economy. At a time of great global trade uncertainly, the importance of Canada's role in the global energy market is bigger than individual projects and provinces."

"A company cannot resolve differences between governments," Kean said.

"While we have succeeded in all legal challenges to date, a company cannot litigate its way to an in-service pipeline amidst jurisdictional differences between governments."

The project would see the pipeline's capacity more than doubled to help ship bitumen from the oilsands to the West Coast for shipping.
A trade war between provinces?

It has faced intense opposition in British Columbia and has been tied up in the regulatory system and the courts for years.

The project has also led to threats of a trade war between B.C. and Alberta, and there have been ongoing protests on the West Coast, particularly in Burnaby.

In the news release, Kean said that the company could potentially be "risking billions of dollars on an outcome that is outside of our control," a situation that is not financially acceptable.

The company has entered 2018 with a focus on advancing the permitting process until it achieved clarity on permits, approvals and judicial reviews.

But that isn't how things are turning out, Kean said.

"The project is now facing unquantifiable risk," Kean stated.

"Unfortunately, B.C. has now been asserting broad jurisdiction and reiterating its intention to use that jurisdiction to stop the project … Those actions have created even greater, and growing, uncertainty with respect to the regulatory landscape facing the project."

Mike Hudema, Greenpeace's climate and energy campaigner, said Kinder Morgan's action is a signal of what's to come.

"The writing is on the wall, and even Kinder Morgan can read it. Investors should note that the opposition to this project is strong, deep and gets bigger by the day," Hudema told CBC News.

"We encourage Kinder Morgan to shelve this project before the litany of lawsuits, crumbling economics, and the growing resistance does it for them."
____________________________

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Naomi Klein join Kinder Morgan protests
Fort McMurray residents dubious as Trudeau waves the flag for oilsands, pipelines
M.I.Wakefield
2018-04-09 02:17:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
BC has created an unacceptable risk for KM's shareholders.

On the other hand, nobody from BC is ever allowed to whine about gas prices
again ... or anything Alberta does after you screwed them over.
TomP
2018-04-09 13:08:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Government of BC . . .  native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . .   Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
BC has created an unacceptable risk for KM's shareholders.
On the other hand, nobody from BC is ever allowed to whine about gas
prices again ... or anything Alberta does after you screwed them over.
Gas prices have nothing to do with this pipeline. The oil is destined
for China. Gas prices in BC are at record high levels and I wonder if
this is to punish the people of BC for their opposition to this
pipeline.
If that's the case then the oil companies are blackmailing the people of
BC.
M.I.Wakefield
2018-04-09 13:50:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
BC has created an unacceptable risk for KM's shareholders.
On the other hand, nobody from BC is ever allowed to whine about gas
prices again ... or anything Alberta does after you screwed them over.
Gas prices have nothing to do with this pipeline. The oil is destined for
China.
Among other places.
Gas prices in BC are at record high levels and I wonder if this is to
punish the people of BC for their opposition to this pipeline.
No, it's because of a limited supply and limited refining capacity ... the
one refinery in the lower mainland can only supply about 1/4 of the region's
demand.
Eric@
2018-04-11 00:07:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
BC has created an unacceptable risk for KM's shareholders.
On the other hand, nobody from BC is ever allowed to whine about gas prices
again ... or anything Alberta does after you screwed them over.
It seems to be generally accepted that Trudeau's decision to include upstream &
downstream greenhouse gas emissions related to Energy East is what killed that
project. I haven't seen any indication that the KM pipeline project thru BC is
being held to the same standard.
Cafe Racer
2018-04-11 02:08:55 UTC
Permalink
Post by Eric@
It seems to be generally accepted that Trudeau's decision to include upstream &
downstream greenhouse gas emissions related to Energy East is what killed that
project. I haven't seen any indication that the KM pipeline project thru BC is
being held to the same standard.
KM is doing a straightforward anti-capitalist trick:

"Support our private business and its profits, AND defray our huge losses, and do so from the public tax purse, or else you are an unpatriotic government!"

Today's Globe & Mail refers to the tar sands / bitumen industry as "facing steep price discounts". No it isn't "facing" them --- it wants to offer even bigger price discounts on top of the already loss-inducing cheap rates.

China wants to have Alberta's lousy raw bitumen even cheaper, so those imagined "discounts" are an implied threat to the provincial and federal governments.

Note: Nobody in the scenario wants to employ Canadian industrial workers on Canadian industrial wages to REFINE the gunk in Canadian facilities; partly because the gunk is so expensive to refine, and partly because the industry DOES NOT WANT CANADIAN WORKERS AT WORK. Remember when China and the LNG company said they would bring in Chinese workers and Chinese components to built their plant?

Trudeau (and especially Notley and Horgan) should refer back to the grade-school economics texts that say "To make a profit, work and earn it!"

When did Canadian industrialists veer from capitalism to near-communist sucking-on-the State?
Greg Carr
2018-04-09 08:18:45 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan blink?
___________________________________
CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2018 3:48 PM
Kinder Morgan puts brakes on 'non-essential' Trans Mountain activities
'A company cannot resolve differences between governments'
Kinder Morgan is suspending "non-essential activities" and related spending for the Trans Mountain pipeline project, citing ongoing opposition from the British Columbia government.
"In the current environment, we will not put [Kinder Morgan] shareholders at risk on the remaining project spend," Steve Kean, Kinder Morgan's chair and chief executive officer, said in a press release Sunday afternoon.
The company said it will, however, consult with stakeholders in an effort to reach agreements before May 31 that could allow the pipeline project to proceed.
The pipeline project has support from the federal government, as well as the provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the May 31 deadline imposed by Kinder Morgan is a serious concern for Alberta, but said she is confident that the expanded pipeline will be built.
Notley said she can understand the frustration of the Houston-based board with "not knowing how many more legal fronts they need to fight."
But she added that this pipeline is so important to Alberta that the province would consider becoming a co-owner. "Alberta," Notley said, "is prepared to be an investor in the pipeline."
Notley had strong words for both the federal government and for B.C. Premier John Horgan.
The federal government has delivered what she called "concrete" assistance to other Canadian sectors, such as the aerospace industry, and Notley said it's time the federal government stepped up to provide concrete action for the energy industry.
Continues tensions with B.C.
"We are calling on the federal government to act on behalf of Alberta and the pipelines," she said.
As for Horgan, she said B.C.'s continued resistance will not go unanswered. Legislation will be introduced in coming days that will have "serious economic consequences" for B.C., she said.
"Maybe the B.C. government feels they can mess with Texas — and maybe they can. But let me be clear, they can't mess with Alberta."
Notley had been planning to travel to New York as part of her push to get the Trans Mountain pipeline built, but that leg of the trip has now been cancelled.
On a swing through western Canada this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly cited his government's backing of the pipeline.
The company said that the active opposition from B.C. and its premier John Horgan is not something it can deal with and it needs to take action to protect its shareholders.
A statement from federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr on Sunday urged the B.C. government to "end all threats of delay" to the pipeline expansion.
"His government's actions stand to harm the entire Canadian economy. At a time of great global trade uncertainly, the importance of Canada's role in the global energy market is bigger than individual projects and provinces."
"A company cannot resolve differences between governments," Kean said.
"While we have succeeded in all legal challenges to date, a company cannot litigate its way to an in-service pipeline amidst jurisdictional differences between governments."
The project would see the pipeline's capacity more than doubled to help ship bitumen from the oilsands to the West Coast for shipping.
A trade war between provinces?
It has faced intense opposition in British Columbia and has been tied up in the regulatory system and the courts for years.
The project has also led to threats of a trade war between B.C. and Alberta, and there have been ongoing protests on the West Coast, particularly in Burnaby.
In the news release, Kean said that the company could potentially be "risking billions of dollars on an outcome that is outside of our control," a situation that is not financially acceptable.
The company has entered 2018 with a focus on advancing the permitting process until it achieved clarity on permits, approvals and judicial reviews.
But that isn't how things are turning out, Kean said.
"The project is now facing unquantifiable risk," Kean stated.
"Unfortunately, B.C. has now been asserting broad jurisdiction and reiterating its intention to use that jurisdiction to stop the project … Those actions have created even greater, and growing, uncertainty with respect to the regulatory landscape facing the project."
Mike Hudema, Greenpeace's climate and energy campaigner, said Kinder Morgan's action is a signal of what's to come.
"The writing is on the wall, and even Kinder Morgan can read it. Investors should note that the opposition to this project is strong, deep and gets bigger by the day," Hudema told CBC News.
"We encourage Kinder Morgan to shelve this project before the litany of lawsuits, crumbling economics, and the growing resistance does it for them."
____________________________
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Naomi Klein join Kinder Morgan protests
Fort McMurray residents dubious as Trudeau waves the flag for oilsands, pipelines
I lived in Burnaby when the Kinder Morgan line burst. I researched their safety record and it is horrendous. BC should just pass legislation abolishing Kinder-Morgan.
Orion
2018-04-09 16:15:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Greg Carr
I lived in Burnaby when the Kinder Morgan line burst.
You mean when it was PUNCTURED BY AN EXCAVATOR, right?
Greg Carr
2018-04-09 17:25:23 UTC
Permalink
Post by Orion
Post by Greg Carr
I lived in Burnaby when the Kinder Morgan line burst.
You mean when it was PUNCTURED BY AN EXCAVATOR, right?
You are correct Orion and it was a mess. https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/kinder-morgan Kinder Morgan has a atrocious safety record and is an American company based in Texas.
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-09 20:47:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Orion
Post by Greg Carr
I lived in Burnaby when the Kinder Morgan line burst.
You mean when it was PUNCTURED BY AN EXCAVATOR, right?
Wrong.

British Columbia South Coast

July 15, 2005: 210,000 litres (1,320 barrels) of crude oil were leaked at the Sumas Tank Farm operated by Kinder Morgan

June 4, 2007: 69,950 litres (440 barrels) of crude oil were spilled at former Wahleach pump station, and reports indicate that the Kinder Morgan pipeline may have been leaking for weeks beforehand

July 24, 2007: 250,000 litres (1,500 barrels) of crude oil spilled out of the pipeline in Burnaby, BC. The crude oil flowed through neighbourhood storm sewers and ditches before entering and contaminating a large portion of Burrard Inlet (CBC).

May 6, 2009: An estimated 200,000 litres (1,260 barrels) of crude oil leaked from Kinder Morgan’s oil storage facility in Burnaby, BC (CBC).

January 24, 2012: An estimated 110,000 litres (692 barrels) of crude oil leaked from Kinder Morgan’s oil storage facility on Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford.

Elsewhere in North America

November 9, 2004: Five people were killed, and four were injured in an explosion that occurred when an excavator hit a Kinder Morgan gas pipeline in Walnut Creek, California (SFGate). Kinder Morgan had failed to properly mark the pipeline’s location, and the excavator operator had been given an inaccurate map.


November 21, 2004: A storm caused a 14-inch diameter pipeline in Sacramento California to erupt, causing an 80-foot geyser of oil to shoot into the air. The leak was not discovered until the next morning, and the nearby highway was closed, followed by Kinder Morgan’s multi-day clean-up response (US EPA, p. 1).
M.I.Wakefield
2018-04-09 21:29:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Post by Orion
Post by Greg Carr
I lived in Burnaby when the Kinder Morgan line burst.
You mean when it was PUNCTURED BY AN EXCAVATOR, right?
Wrong.
Snip!
Post by b***@gmail.com
July 24, 2007: 250,000 litres (1,500 barrels) of crude oil spilled out of
the pipeline in Burnaby, BC. The crude oil flowed through neighbourhood
storm sewers and ditches before entering and contaminating a large portion
of Burrard Inlet (CBC).
That's the one: "... an excavator ruptured a pipeline ..."

http://www.burnabynow.com/news/the-day-oil-rained-down-on-burnaby-1.21287293
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-09 22:22:11 UTC
Permalink
wrote in message
That's the one: "... an excavator ruptured a pipeline ..."
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/the-day-oil-rained-down-on-burnaby-1.21287293
Yup. One little excavator. Imagine what a ruptured oil tanker would have done.

Here's just one photo of what it looked like:
Loading Image...

The day oil rained down on Burnaby

Ten years ago this week, an excavator ruptured a pipeline and sent crude oil shooting into the sky. In this report, we look back on that day and its aftermath
[- - - ]

Hadden says the spill was relatively small compared to other North American incidents. But, as real estate agents say, it was all about location, location, location.

“Because of its location, it certainly had huge impacts,” he says. “Because the oil itself got into the storm drain system and then into the inlet, it then became a marine spill.”

Shore birds affected

The TSB report said: “The crude oil seeped into the surrounding soil, storm drains, and sewer lines. The Barnet Highway was closed for several days. Moving through the storm drain system, the crude oil eventually reached the marine waters of Burrard Inlet where it began to spread further into the inlet through wind and tide action.

Burrard Inlet’s marine environment and approximately 1,200 metres of shoreline were affected by the crude oil spill. A number of shore birds were contaminated after coming into contact with the oil.”
Red Zone

Hatch was on the outer edge of what was called the Red Zone, about a 100-metre radius around the rupture encompassing homes on both sides of Inlet.

For several months, Hatch had arborists, landscapers, health researchers, insurance adjusters and bureaucrats tramping on her property. Her soil and grass was removed and replaced. Most of her plants were taken away or severely pruned.

“Everything that’s probably on my property is now new,” she says.

Three arborists trimmed a lot of oily branches off the eight huge evergreens along her front fence, but they weren’t removed. The cedars that stretch to the sky are actually on city property and serve as a sound barrier from the heavy and steady vehicular traffic on Inlet Drive. “That would have been quite a project,” admits Hatch of removing the trees.

Most of the work was carried out by contractors hired by Kinder Morgan. After getting new dirt, sod and plants, a worker showed up to remove and replace her gutters. She was distressed when he started throwing the old gutters, still containing oil, on her new, clean lawn and remediated dirt.

Hatch says it took a couple of years to make sure the remediation was safe.
Orion
2018-04-15 01:49:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Snip!
Post by b***@gmail.com
July 24, 2007: 250,000 litres (1,500 barrels) of crude oil spilled out of
the pipeline in Burnaby, BC. The crude oil flowed through neighbourhood
storm sewers and ditches before entering and contaminating a large portion
of Burrard Inlet (CBC).
That's the one: "... an excavator ruptured a pipeline ..."
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/the-day-oil-rained-down-on-burnaby-1.21287293
No one can completely miss such a simple point quite like our Karen. She's legendary at it.
Cafe Racer
2018-04-09 14:39:26 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan blink?
___________________________________
CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2018 3:48 PM
Kinder Morgan puts brakes on 'non-essential' Trans Mountain activities
'A company cannot resolve differences between governments'
This is Tactic #1 in the basic company playbook.

"I'm pulling out! We're going home! Forget it! Tomorrow we're gone!"

I've heard this crap from multi-million dollar property developers publicly challenging a cowardly council,, all the way "down" to a guy selling kitchenware from the back of his van
"Time's run out. Last chance now, I'm going. Buy now or I'm gone."

Kinder Morgan will now milk the so-called socialist government of Alberta to pay all their bils, and the fake-socialist Notley will oblige.

Strange thing is, any real capitalist system would calmly watch Kinder-Morgan go bankrupt as a lame duck.

I say, let everyone stand back and do/say nothing --- and watch KM shit or get off the pot.
Orion
2018-04-09 16:14:05 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan blink?
No, you did not.
Post by b***@gmail.com
'A company cannot resolve differences between governments'
What they did was force the federal government to run (more) interference for them, by eliminating the delays that are costing KM time and money. A very clever maneuver, for sure...
Cafe Racer
2018-04-09 16:36:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Orion
What they did was force the federal government to run (more) interference for them, by eliminating the delays that are costing KM time and money. A very clever maneuver, for sure...
What used to be called 'sucking on government's tit".
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-09 20:42:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Orion
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan blink?
No, you did not.
Post by b***@gmail.com
'A company cannot resolve differences between governments'
What they did was force the federal government to run (more) interference for them, by eliminating the delays that are costing KM time and money. A very clever maneuver, for sure...
What part of it is "clever", Bruyea . . . . the part of the hundreds of protesters in BC marching against Trudeau every time he steps foot in the provincE? Or the fact that more people appreciate our new NDP government and its stance against any pipelines tripling the number of foreign oil tankers in our waters?

Very clever, indeed - a sure way for Trudeau to lose his 17 seats in British Columbia - to the NDP by the looks of it. We need more of this kind of 'clever' from Trudeau.
M.I.Wakefield
2018-04-09 19:56:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
And remember ... pipelines don't derail.
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-09 20:48:48 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
And remember ... pipelines don't derail.
They just leak - often undetected - for days or weeks or even months. A train you'd notice right away, hmmm?
TomP
2018-04-10 01:07:23 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Post by b***@gmail.com
Government of BC . . . native groups . . . . protesters . . . BCers
who've written ministers . . . . Did we all just make Kinder Morgan
blink?
And remember ... pipelines don't derail.
They just leak - often undetected - for days or weeks or even months. A train you'd notice right away, hmmm?
This pipeline is being forced against the wishes of the people of BC,
meanwhile the rail line to Churchill Manitoba is being totally ignored.
If there was as much political will to fix the rail line to Churchill as
there is to build this pipeline, it would have been done long ago.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4003534/residents-leaving-churchill-since-rail-line-wash-out/

The pipeline is being pushed forward by corporate interests. The rail
line to Churchill challenges the corporate agenda so it is being left to
die.
When Harper killed the Wheat Board he made sure that it was broken
beyond repair. I remember hearing about a group of farmers in
Saskatchewan that wanted to start a farmer's co-op so that they could
market the grain themselves. They wanted to bid on the grain rail cars
that was owned by the CWB and being disposed of. Saskatchewan farmers
had lost millions if not billions of dollars with the loss of the Wheat
Board so they were looking to market their grain themselves. The Harper
government refused to sell the grain cars to the farmers preferring to
sell them to a Saudi Arabian company, G3.
The marketing plan the farmers wanted to start up would have them
shipping their wheat through Churchill. The first thing Pallister did
when he got into office was to pull the infrastructure money for the
rail line and the rail line owner Omnitrax closed the rail line and the
grain shipping port. The rail line usually has some Spring washout
problems and when that happened in the Spring of 2017, the rail line was
basically abandoned along with the dream of the farmer's co-op.
Corporations don't care who they step on to get their way. For once I
would like to see the people win one with the cancellation of this
pipeline.
TomP
2018-04-11 02:23:57 UTC
Permalink
This is something that has been totally ignored in this debate...

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/endangered-b-c-orcas-could-face-extinction-with-trans-mountain-approval-environmentalists-1.3184516

Endangered B.C. orcas could face extinction with Trans Mountain
approval: environmentalists

Published Wednesday, November 30, 2016 9:59PM EST

British Columbia’s endangered population of southern resident killer
whales are more likely to go extinct, now that the Liberal government
has approved Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, some environmental
scientists say.

The whales, which roam the southern coast, are symbolically important
for several First Nations and also attract tourism dollars.

Raincoast Conservation Foundation, a scientific body that advocates for
wildlife issues, says it is considering legal action since the
government greenlit the contentious project, which would significantly
increase tanker boat traffic in the Salish Sea, where the 80 whales live
and hunt salmon.
Even without an oil spill or whales being struck by tankers, the group
fears that persistent boat noise would overpower the orcas’ ability to
hunt and communicate using echolocation.

“Even if this project goes completely according to plan -- no ship
strikes and no oil spills -- just the increase in noise alone
dramatically increases the risk of extinction,” Misty MacDuffee, a
biologist and wild salmon program director for the group, told
CTVNews.ca.

Similar concern for the orcas has been voiced by Green Party Leader and
Saanich Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May, who has vowed to go to jail if
necessary to fight the project.

How tankers impact killer whales

To understand how boat noise could seriously affect the orcas, it’s
important to understand how they hunt. Orcas that hunt fish – such as
the southern residents – use chirps and clicks to size up a fish, locate
its whereabouts and communicate with other whales amid the underwater
hunt.

MacDuffee says that when tanker boats are in the region, those chirps
and clicks become “masked” by the drone of engine noise.

“Foraging decreases in the presence of boats. And right now in the
Salish Sea, vessel traffic is present about 85 per cent of the time for
whales,” she said. “And we know that vessel traffic is going to go to
100 per cent.”

Southern resident orcas don’t live exclusively in the waterways between
B.C. and Washington. The whales are known to swim up the western coast
of Vancouver Island and travel as far south as California in colder
months.

But the whales have evolved from generation to generation to rely on the
chinook salmon hunt in southern B.C. during warmer months -- an
instinctive behaviour that isn’t likely to change on a dime.

“There’s not a whole lot of other options. It’s not like they can
switch their dominant food source. So they’re really relying on this
general region for chinook,” MacDuffee said.

To make matters tougher, the population’s diminutive size means that the
loss of just a single whale has broad repercussions. If one whale
doesn’t get enough to eat and starves or is struck by a tanker, the
consequences affect the larger group.

What about B.C.’s other orcas?

Southern residents aren’t the only whales in B.C. There are also the
northern resident killer whales, which naturally swim in northern
waters, and seal-hunting transient orcas, which travel across the coast.
MacDuffee says northern resident whales wouldn’t be directly affected by
the Trans Mountain pipeline due to where they live, but transients could
be seriously harmed by an oil spill.

MacDuffee said the southern residents are “on a precipice” and that, at
the moment, their fate can fall either way. According to a population
viability analysis by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the
southern resident killer whales can be saved if noise in the region is
reduced and food is made more available.

“If we take a different course, we can recover this population,” she
said. “But doing nothing isn’t going to recover the population. And
adding horrific stressors is only going to make it worse.”

MacDuffee said the Raincoast Conservation Foundation plans to weigh its
legal options in the coming days. The group has already challenged the
National Energy Board’s decision to approve the project on the grounds
that it didn’t adequately consider the Species at Risk Act, which
stipulates that “significant adverse effects” cannot be placed on an
endangered population.

She insisted that the loss of the southern residents wouldn’t simply be
a sad day for science – it would be a cultural blow.

“For British Columbians, these are iconic animals that help distinguish
who we are here on the coast,” she said. “Pursuing something simply
because it’s economically profitable for a certain segment of society,
that’s just not good enough anymore. These trade-offs are no longer
acceptable.”

Other whale researchers have spoken out against the project. Ken Balcomb
with the Center for Whale Research said it was a “dark day” when the
decision was announced Tuesday.

“Fortunately there are other species of whales in other parts of the
world that haven’t been destroyed yet,” Balcomb said. “If people want to
whale watch, they’re going to have to go to those.”
M.I.Wakefield
2018-04-11 03:18:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by TomP
This is something that has been totally ignored in this debate...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/endangered-b-c-orcas-could-face-extinction-with-trans-mountain-approval-environmentalists-1.3184516
Because if the new pipeline is built, the number of tankers at Kinder
Morgan's Vancouver terminal will increase by 1 per day ... from 5 to 34 per
month.

https://globalnews.ca/news/900601/kinder-morgan-pipeline-expansion-will-increase-tanker-traffic-nearly-seven-fold/

But the Port of Vancouver saw over 3,200 foreign ship arrivals in 2017,
including about 200 tankers arrivals not associated with KM.

https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2017-Stats-Overview-1.pdf

And for every vessel that goes north to Vancouver, another one goes south to
Seattle or Tacoma.

So Trans Mountain isn't going to dramatically change the amount of ships the
southern residents have to deal with.
Greg Carr
2018-04-11 04:59:53 UTC
Permalink
I like the West Coast of BC. Halt the expansion keep fighting the good fight John Horgan.
Cafe Racer
2018-04-11 15:43:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by Greg Carr
I like the West Coast of BC. Halt the expansion keep fighting the good fight John Horgan.
I don't give a shit about the environment.

I just won't tolerate governments handing over my tax dollars to cover some business's losses, and increase their profits, and abolish any laws that might impede that business's growth. Doing so is not CAPITALISM.
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-11 23:06:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Cafe Racer
Post by Greg Carr
I like the West Coast of BC. Halt the expansion keep fighting the good fight John Horgan.
I don't give a shit about the environment.
I just won't tolerate governments handing over my tax dollars to cover some business's losses, and increase their profits, and abolish any laws that might impede that business's growth. Doing so is not CAPITALISM.
Oh, yeah - it *is* capitalism. You just described it to a T.
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-11 23:00:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Post by TomP
This is something that has been totally ignored in this debate...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/endangered-b-c-orcas-could-face-extinction-with-trans-mountain-approval-environmentalists-1.3184516
Because if the new pipeline is built, the number of tankers at Kinder
Morgan's Vancouver terminal will increase by 1 per day ... from 5 to 34 per
month.
https://globalnews.ca/news/900601/kinder-morgan-pipeline-expansion-will-increase-tanker-traffic-nearly-seven-fold/
But the Port of Vancouver saw over 3,200 foreign ship arrivals in 2017,
including about 200 tankers arrivals not associated with KM.
https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2017-Stats-Overview-1.pdf
And for every vessel that goes north to Vancouver, another one goes south to
Seattle or Tacoma.
So Trans Mountain isn't going to dramatically change the amount of ships the
southern residents have to deal with.
Really? How many of those "200 tankers" were carrying crude oil?

In 2012 there were 491 carrying oil - or oil by-products:

Loading Image...

And the projection:
From 'How Many is Too Many?'

Loading Image...

The Port of Vancouver sees about 30 to 50 crude oil tankers per year, out of a total of about 3,160 vessel calls annually. With the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project approved, this number could increase to about 400 tankers per year, or about 11 per cent of our total vessel traffic.

https://www.portvancouver.com/
Greg Carr
2018-04-11 23:12:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by b***@gmail.com
Post by M.I.Wakefield
Post by TomP
This is something that has been totally ignored in this debate...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/endangered-b-c-orcas-could-face-extinction-with-trans-mountain-approval-environmentalists-1.3184516
Because if the new pipeline is built, the number of tankers at Kinder
Morgan's Vancouver terminal will increase by 1 per day ... from 5 to 34 per
month.
https://globalnews.ca/news/900601/kinder-morgan-pipeline-expansion-will-increase-tanker-traffic-nearly-seven-fold/
But the Port of Vancouver saw over 3,200 foreign ship arrivals in 2017,
including about 200 tankers arrivals not associated with KM.
https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2017-Stats-Overview-1.pdf
And for every vessel that goes north to Vancouver, another one goes south to
Seattle or Tacoma.
So Trans Mountain isn't going to dramatically change the amount of ships the
southern residents have to deal with.
Really? How many of those "200 tankers" were carrying crude oil?
http://www.douglasmagazine.com/app/uploads/2017/01/Oil-by-Numbers.jpg
From 'How Many is Too Many?'
https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/graph-historical-projected-vessel-activity-1024x602.png
The Port of Vancouver sees about 30 to 50 crude oil tankers per year, out of a total of about 3,160 vessel calls annually. With the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project approved, this number could increase to about 400 tankers per year, or about 11 per cent of our total vessel traffic.
https://www.portvancouver.com/
Whatever medications you have started to take keep on taking them. I have agreed with 4 of your posts today.
b***@gmail.com
2018-04-11 23:31:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Greg Carr
Whatever medications you have started to take keep on taking them. I have agreed with 4 of your posts today.
Ever consider that it's *your* medications that are at play here?
Orion
2018-04-15 01:46:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by TomP
This is something that has been totally ignored in this debate...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/endangered-b-c-orcas-could-face-extinction-with-trans-mountain-approval-environmentalists-1.3184516
Endangered B.C. orcas could face extinction with Trans Mountain
approval: environmentalists
And you believe them, of course...despite the fact that they GET PAID for making statements like this?

You're a 'special' guy, Tom.
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