I am writing you today about the Bella Bella tugboat incident because we on the North Shore could face a much larger problem if Kinder Morgan gets approval to double its pipeline.
My first point is that it will be diluted bitumen (dilbit), not diesel, that will be in the large number of tankers leaving from east of the Second Narrows. It has been proven that dilbit does not float but sinks to the bottom. Any recovery by the oil industry owned company, who will actually profit for trying, is next to nil.
A tanker going through the Second Narrows under the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge with a full load is very tricky as it has to go out only at high tide. It has been reported that there is only about 1.5 metres of water under them at that tide.
To top this off, the tugboats in the harbour now only have two crewmen aboard from the three that used to be mandated.
Therefore, the Kinder Morgan expansion should not be approved by any regulatory body.
Don McBain
North Vancouver
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