To the editor:
Premier John Horgan is having difficulties deciding on renewal of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. I’m no professional politician but maybe I can help.
1) Vancouver has been our major west-coast commercial shipping port since 1886. There are many ships now therefore your efforts are best directed at upholding high safety standards rather than trying to shut down the port.
2) The Trans Mountain Pipeline was built in 1953 and is delivering 5 million cubic metres of petroleum each day. The alternative of shipping more petroleum by railway is not good.
3) Premier Horgan wants to learn more about what to do in case of a spill. See #2 above – old pipeline – not good. As part of the agreement for the renewal, Natural Resources Canada has set aside a $1.5 billion environment fund and has been conducting research on effective practice since 2013.
4) B.C. people use a lot of petroleum. Petroleum products are a key component in sports equipment, electronics, cosmetics, clothing, automobiles, tractors, tires, asphalt, shingles, plastics and paint. There are more than 3.6 million motor vehicles in BC with 49 per cent of petroleum sales for gasoline and 32 per cent for diesel fuel.
5) B.C. people who really care about the environment should walk more and stop using petroleum products. There are more than 1.7 million households in B.C. that could shut off the natural gas pipeline right at the gas meter at their home. This would be a good start.
6) B.C. exports 2.4 million tonnes of coal annually to Asia. This is not good for planet earth.
7) Our forest fires in 2017 produced more CO2 pollution than all the vehicles in B.C. Not good.
8) The problem with any NDP government is that it will quickly run out of money. Resource development revenue is good.
9) Your short-lived minority government does not have a mandate to impose the China-like NDP Great Leap Manifesto to stop development and the use of petroleum.
10) Voters are smarter than you think.
Bobbe Wemock, Kelowna