Friday, January 30, 2009

Fundy's Bayside Quarry Threatens Marine Life and Community


I remember I was sitting with my wife; first-born, Kim; and our friend Eric McCartney in a barren walk-up apartment on the island of Montreal when the Cuban Missile Crisis was developing. We watched President Kennedy's announcement and the developing drama on our little black and white TV.

As we were drawn into the enormity of a situation that we shared with everyone else in the world, we considered our options if something happened. We would be trapped with 3 million other people on an island that was undoubtedly a target for a nuclear ICBM. In no time at all, we would have no food, no money, and only a tiny old Volkswagen bug that would be no competition for the flood of vehicles and people leaving on the limited capacity bridges, assuming gas was available.

Since there were no pressing obligations at McGill University where I was a student and lab instructor, we decided to go home to Charlotte County before the crisis was fully developed. The reasons were obvious: it was exceedingly unlikely that anything but an errant missile would find us and, secondly, as I remember saying, "We won't have to worry about starving." So off we went to St. Stephen , packed like sardines into our little VW.

While we were subsequently ridiculed for our move, history shows that it was the right decision.

The point of this little personal story was that we knew that the richness of the Quoddy Region would sustain us, winter and summer. Today, it is a totally different story, assuming our new generation even knew how to harvest the wealth at our doorstep and our gun-totting wardens would allow us to harvest anything without the appropriate and costly licence. And, of course, we now have a nuclear power plant that is a magent for missiles and terorists.

When we finally came home for good in the 1960's, our precious resources had been hit hard by coastal developments particularly the mill in Woodland where an operation there was allowed , by our 3 levels of government, to dump black liquor directly into the river, killing a vital fishery in the St. Croix River Estuary and western Passamaquoddy Bay that I have valued at $10 - $20 million annually in today's dollars.

There was a new ditty then in response to the horrific smell of the river and the bubbling mudflats. "St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, St. Stephen-by-the-smell." It's not quite so applicable in recent years and we have seen encouraging signs that our marine resources could rebuild, but now a new threats are looming.

Some years ago, Jamer Materials was allowed to mine aggregate at the Bayside Port under the expressed understanding that this was to increase laydown area for the Bayside Port. None of this has occurred and the company has now announced its quarry expansion plans for a vast area across the main highway (highway 127) leading into St. Andrews around (literally) the Simpson Hill area. This is in the Chamcook watershed, the water source for the Town of St. Andrews, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Biological Station, Huntsman Marine Science Centre and other vital operations and communities.

But, they claim, all drainage will be directed back across the highway to the existing quarry site. Well, we now have underwater surveys and aerial photos that show sediments from the existing quarry operations have destroyed important scallop, lobster, and fish habitat directly offshore from the site. Expansion will only exacerbate this problem.

This is in direct contravention of Canada's Oceans Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. It's long past the time when Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should step in.

Write or email your ministers of fisheries and environment about this problem today. While you're at it, let MP Greg Thompson know that you appreciate his efforts in fighting LNG and the Quarry on behalf of his constituents.

Times are tough and we will need all of our natural resources to survive future challenges. Unless we start protecting our own assets, they will be gone and us with them.

That's my opinion anyway.

Art

Saturday, January 24, 2009

FUNDY OPINION - St. Andrews citizens will be burning

By Art MacKAY

The US Coast Guard's recently released Waterway Suitability Report, prepared for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Downeast LNG application, will have the residents of New Brunswick's premier resort area burning again.

When, on the heels of Quoddy Bay LLC's earlier proposal at Sipayik, Downeast LNG first introduced their plan to construct an LNG terminal and storage facility directly across the St.Croix River from St. Andrews at Robbinston, Me., the citizens of that resort town and the greater Quoddy Region rose as one to denounce these developments and made their position clear with submissions to FERC and government officials in both Canada and the United States. Impressive, passionate, packed public meetings and protests were held.

Subsequently, Canadian opponents to the LNG plans have been supported at every political level in Canada. Conservative Prime Minister Harper and local Member of Parliament Greg Thompson have publicly, and in closed session with President George W. Bush, expressed their firm position that tankers will not be allowed through Head Harbour Passage, the essential waterway that they consider to be internal Canadian waters and, in the long term, too valuable and hazardous a waterway to be used by super tankers. This was a similar position to that taken about 30 years ago when the Pittston Company of Greenwich, Conn., applied to turn Eastport and Moose Island into a gigantic oil refinery and tank farm, threatening fishing, tourism, marine life, and whales including the endangered north Atlantic right whale.

In previous responses to Quoddy Bay LLC, the U.S.Coast Guard stated that the participation of the Canadian government was paramount to their release of a similar report for Quoddy Bay LLC and it [participation] was withheld. This is not the case with the Downeast LNG proposal. In this case, while the report requires Canadian consultation by Downeast LNG, the USCC has chosen to assess Canadian waters without the approval of Canada, an interesting move that causes great concern in a contest that, more and more, seems to revolve around testing Canadian sovereignty and, not incidentally, Canadian resolve.

IN SPITE OF THE WEAK OUTER LINE in the accompanying chart taken from the USCC Waterway Suitability Study, St. Andrews citizens can now see that they are within the hazard zone for this development. A similar study for Calais LNG will, undoubtedly, duplicate this scenario, but will move Zone 3 more deeply into the town as tankers move up the St.Croix River.

The USCC defines these zones as:

  • Zone 1 — 500-metre radius with resultant fire and severe thermal radiation hazards. By definition these are areas in which LNG shipments occur in relatively narrow harbours or channels, or ships pass under major bridges or over tunnels, or come in within 500 metres of major infrastructure such as military installations, commercial/business centers, or national icons.
  • Zone 2 — from 500 to 1,600 metres with less severe thermal radiation hazards to public safety and property. These are areas of broader channel widths, larger open harbors, or over 500 metres from major critical infrastructure elements.
  • Zone 3 — from 1,600 to 3,500 metres with potential pockets of flammable vapor. These are areas where LNG traffic and deliveries occur approximately 1.6 kilometres from major infrastructure or in large bays or open water. The thermal radiation risks to public safety and property are significantly reduced.

    While thermal risks may be reduced with distance, MIT Professor Emeritus James Fay, points out that the actual zone of impact, the area where fires are ignited and people suffer serious burns, may be greater than the distance used in the report. He states that, "for all credible spills, including terrorist attacks on the storage tank and LNG tanker, the danger zone for humans extends almost four miles from the terminal site" or about 2.5 kilometres, and life and property will be lost from so-called collateral impacts. This greater distance envelopes all of St. Andrews and the ability of fire departments may be non-existent since their facilities are within the real zone of impact and these professionals may well be immobilized by an event itself. The nearest assistance would be St.Stephen and St.George.

    As for bringing tankers through Head Harbour Passage, this is a red herring. Of course it can be done. It's risk analysis and the real question is for how long will it take to have an accident and at what cost? Since LNG tankers can only enter and leave during the day, at slack tide (if that truly exists in some areas along the route), when the visibility is more than two miles, and the wind is less than 25 mph, then the number of days when access is available will be severely limited.

    In fact, these data are available and it is a wonder that they have not been required for the USCC report and company submissions to FERC. Imagine the financial impacts to Downeast LNG and its leader Dean Girdis during those delightful years like the one when fog held to the West Isles for more than 30 days and 30 nights. At $100,000 a day, layovers add up! Passamaquoddy Bay and key fishing areas of Campobello Island could well see numerous gigantic tankers stacked up waiting to move.

    Forget the hazardous passage and the Old Sow whirlpool, layovers will be substantial and local boats will be unable to pursue fishing, whale watching, and recreational activities during passage and while at anchor or at the terminal. The eco-economy of Quoddy will be effectively shut down. Since the arrival of tankers is "secret" due to fears of terrorism, local operators will have little time to respond and will be forced to the side by armed gunboats, as they are in Boston Harbour. What a delightful vision.

    Unless the new administration in the United States recognizes the folly of agitating their neighbours, best friends, and largest trading partner, the first LNG explosion may be coming soon, much sooner, than anticipated by the LNG promoters. A once interesting and functional "international community" that drew upon the abundant natural resources of this unique Quoddy ecosystem, has been split asunder by these LNG development proposals.

    In spite of the plethora of carpetbaggers who have wandered through Charlotte and Washington counties, some folks have never stopped looking for the knight on a white steed; the saviour who will bring economic salvation to an area of perceived poverty. The sad truth is that the wealth required to provide a truly sustainable future for all of the citizens of Quoddy has always been here for those with eyes to see.

    They will forget their old laws; they will barter their country for baubels. Then will disease eat the life from their blood. (Hanisse'ono. The Evil One from Iroquois legend).

    Art MacKay is a biologist, writer, and artist with over 40 years professional experience in the Bay of Fundy and northern Gulf of Maine. He is the author of many reports and articles about these ecosystems.

  • Wednesday, January 7, 2009

    AQUACULTURE - Bay of Fundy Needs EIA's Before Aquaculture Beaches are Designated

    I've had several calls and emails about the announcement that the NB Department of Natural Resources will be creating "aquaculture beach sites" where the industry can haul their cages, boats, barges, and other infrastructure ashore to repair and maintain them. Having started the very first commercial aquaculture sites at Deer Island and Eastport and having been surveying the impact of the industry on the Quoddy ecosystem for almost 30 years, it is certain that these sites will have impacts where they are established and, undoubtedly, will be eye-sores. While the provided map is less than useful, I have been given the names of a couple of these beaches that have unique and important populations of marine invertebrates and have been traditional community beaches for decades and decades.

    The timing on this makes it appear that Nature Resources has designed the notice to fast-track the result without proper consideration and public input. While we give lipservice to the value of Quoddy and fight unsuitable development like Pittston, LNG, coastal quarries, municipal pollution and all of those developments that threaten the important and financially valuable Quoddy ecosystem, certain existing government departments seem to be willing to ignore our own regulations and laws. Also we are spending thousands on developing a marine planning approach under Sue Farhquarson`s able leadership. Unfortunately this is not `planning` where the needs of all resource users are taken into account, compromises are made, and the best solutions are sought.

    Assigning beaches without public consultation is a travesty. In fact, the delicate nature of some of these beaches screams for Environmental Impact Assessments. Again, no one argues against the need ... it is the arbitrary selection of location and lack of public consultation that rankles.

    Come on folks, let's do it right!

    At the moment, that's my opinion. What`s yours.

    Thursday, January 1, 2009

    Stevens Lampoons Quarry Offer

    Original cartoon at fundytides.blogspot.com

    Cartoonist Dave Stevens lampoons Jamar Materials Ltd proposed quarry expansion around (literally) Simpson's Hill Recreational Area (see previous post).

    (Want to use this cartoon in your publication? Send your request to "fundytides at gmail.com" and we will forward a high resolution version. No payment is required, but those who wish to contribute to the quarry battle can get in touch through this blog.)