Monday, August 21, 2017

Tanker, Tanker Very Much

Canada must balance conservation and responsible development of our natural resources. Workers, families, and our country depend on it.

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By Wayne Prins, Executive Director

I, like most of us, have a deep love for the natural environment. Not only did I finish university with an environmental studies degree, but I spend most of my free time trying to get out into nature. I am concerned about climate change, and I believe in the value of reasonable public policy aimed at moderating the impact of modern life on the vulnerable eco-system in which we live.

At the same time, I am a supporter of Canada’s vital energy industry, and I believe in the responsible development and use of the natural resources that Canada is so richly blessed with.

The rhetoric and debate that swirls around every proposed resource project is, I believe, an important feature of a system that generally makes good decisions. Yes, the regulatory system in Canada is burdensome and slow, but the intention of the system is to balance a variety of differing interests. Its comprehensive nature is rooted in a wise and tested form of governance. While I recognize the vested interest CLAC and our members have in ongoing resource projects, this doesn’t mean I automatically support every project that is proposed. I try to make my own assessment, based on the information available, as to whether a project is worthy to pursue or simply poses too much risk.

This brings me to my dismay over the rabid opposition to Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline Project.

Yes, CLAC members are positioned to perform the majority of construction work on the project, and some might say that my opinion is biased as a result. However, I have honestly tried to understand the dynamic in BC that gives rise to such loud and ferocious protest over a simple expansion of an existing piece of energy infrastructure—infrastructure that almost every lower mainlander in BC relies on for their daily living. In particular, I have tried to understand the new BC government’s mantra of “protecting BC’s interests” as it relates to protecting BC’s coast from the increase in tanker traffic, and the associated risks, that would result from the completion of the pipeline.

I have done my own limited research to put this project into perspective, globally speaking. Let me share what I found.

The current number of tankers (oil & chemical) that travel in and out of the Vancouver port annually is about 100, according to the Port of Vancouver. That’s one every few days and about three percent of the roughly 3,100 large vessels that call the port each year. The number of tankers would increase to approximately 400 with the expansion of the pipeline—about one per day. A significant increase, but how does that compare to the tanker traffic in other global port cities?

Vancouver actually has a very low volume of tanker traffic relative to comparable ports around the world. Singapore, a city state one quarter the size of Metro Vancouver, has annual tanker traffic of 22,000 vessels! Rotterdam, another busy port city, has an annual call of over 8,000 tankers. So 400 tankers doesn’t sound so bad.

Not only that, but among the many conditions assigned to the project are some of the most stringent marine safety measures on earth, including double-hulled ships, several large escort tugs for every ship, and redundant spill response capacity. It is also worth noting that oil has been loaded onto tankers from the existing pipeline terminal since 1956 without a single spill.

I understand that 22,000 tankers in Singapore doesn’t automatically make 400 in Vancouver right, but I find this perspective compelling.

We live in a global economy, and our domestic economy is dependent on the safe exchange of goods and services to and from our country. We might think our west coast waters are the most precious in the world, but the waters around Singapore are pretty special too. Yet the Singaporeans seem to understand better than we do that prosperity depends on a measured balance between conservation and risk mitigation. The job creation on the project would be a blessing to so many families desperate for a life line in this challenging economy. And the long-term economic benefits of the market access would benefit all Canadians for decades to come.

Tanker, Tanker Very Much

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