The Editor,
Kinder Morgan is trying to convince the public to accept its plan to twin the Trans Mountain Pipeline to expand its capacity. I tried to learn of its scientific evidence by attending the meeting June 25 at Port Moody city hall.
I am convinced the plan is still premature in the tactics to deal with accidental leakages or spills. Kinder Morgan is certainly not ready to proceed nor will there be future action without putting our environment at risk.
(And the explanation by Kinder Morgan representatives always ended up emphasizing the economic benefits and increased number of jobs.)
For example, when there is a spill or a leakage, the emergency response time is an average of 60 minutes but they didn't say what will happen during this critical 60 minutes. If oil leaks in water, they claimed, crude or refined oil does not mix with water, and is easy to remove with their technology - and once the oil is removed, the impact to the environment is minimal.
But living creatures in the ocean are much more sensitive than they think. What we really worry about is the contamination to the natural habitations as they are affected immediately with such toxins.
Kinder Morgan and its supporters are just trying to push their business to create their profit rather than seriously consulting with the public based on the scientific facts.
We need to stop damaging nature with any dangerous materials. In fact, many advanced countries are trying to develop new, less contaminating power sources. I don't know how many more years we need oil or coal for our energy source but I firmly believe it is our duty to develop a cleaner form of energy.
Kiyoshi Takahashi, Coquitlam
