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Baykeeper Log
19: March 2007

PETROLEUM COKE FOR COLESON COVE: EIA MUST NOT BE SHORT CIRCUITED!

NB Power has announced a proposed test burn of petroleum coke at Coleson Cove. This is more than just a test burn this is conversion of one of the three units at Coleson Cove to burn pet coke, which will involve shipping 120 thousand tonnes / 6 ship loads of this dusty oily dirty material into the Port of Saint John and then hauling thousands of truck loads to Coleson Cove.

Conversion of the first unit could cost $40 million according to NB Power, who is trying to avoid a full environmental assessment and wants the Environment Minister to short circuit the environmental assessment process and public participation. This project has huge implications for air quality and will result in major increases in CO₂ (greenhouse gas) emissions.

Petroleum coke will be delivered to the port of Saint John by ship from refineries in the Gulf of Mexico as it is not currently available in New Brunswick. However, documents filed by Irving Oil Ltd., with the Environment Department, indicate that the proposed new refinery will be capable of producing up to a small ship load a day of this dirty fuel in the future. All that Coleson Cove will ever need and far more!

Handling of this dirty granule dusty material will have to be done with much care. All unloading and storage of the material, as well as loading of trucks, at the Port of Saint John will have to be done under cover with buildings and wash facilities to ensure trucks and their tires do not track the material through neighbourhoods and city streets. Care must also be taken to ensure there is no oily runoff from the storage of coke or washing of trucks into the harbour waters. NB Power says their environmental examination of the proposed Coleson Cove project does not extend to the examination of unloading or storage activities at the Port of Saint John. As a result, Baykeeper met with the President and CEO of the Saint John Port Authority Captain Alwyn Soppitt on February 19^th, 2007, to determine if the Port of Saint John had begun their environmental assessment under the federal environmental review process, he informed us that an environmental assessment had not yet begun, as NB Power has not contracted with a shipper to handle the material at the port, and the port corporation will rely on the shipper to provide all the necessary information for an EIA.

If NB Power can economically burn petroleum coke in the unit to be converted at Coleson Cove they will proceed to convert the other two units.

Action Alert

We urge you to quickly contact Environment Minister Roland Haché and request that the Coleson Cove petroleum coke test burn project be subject to a full EIA through the comprehensive review stage.

Roland Haché
Environment Minister
Mailing address:
Marysville Place
P. O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1
Email: Roland.HACHE@gnb.ca

BAYSIDE QUARRY REPORT AND PETITION

The Bayside quarry operating permit is scheduled to expire April 30, 2007 the NB Department of Environment is receiving comments from those concerned about operations of the quarry. If you have concerns about the quarry and any part of its operation including such items as: dust, noise, hours of operation or other disturbing matters please write to:

Roland Haché and the Department of Environment:

Roland Haché Environment Minister Mailing address: Marysville Place P. O. Box 6000 Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1 Email: Roland.HACHE@gnb.ca

Department of Environment Saint John Regional Office 8 Castle Street/ PO Box 5001 Saint John, NB, E2L 4Y9

Request that renewal of any operating permit be issued for one year only, as this gives us a chance to review the situation within the year if problems with the operation continue to exist. 

Petition

If you would like to sign the petition to halt expansion and phase out the current Bayside quarry operation it is available at the St. Andrews Town Hall and the Clarke House (62 Princess Royal Street, St. Andrews).

If you have any documented information or evidence of environmental violations resulting from the operation of the Bayside quarry please call the Fundy Baykeeper office at 529.8838 or email us at fundybaykeeper@conservationcouncil.ca

IRVING OIL EIDER ROCK REFINERY ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW “ACTION”

Action Alert

There is still no decision regarding an environmental impact assessment for the proposed new Irving oil refinery which will have major effects on air quality and the Bay of Fundy.

To ensure that best possible opportunity for people to participate and to have a say regarding the proposed new Irving Oil refinery, we must ACT NOW! The public must be given adequate resources and opportunity to participate in the environmental decision-making process with an independent panel review.

To ensure that this happens, please send the following message to:

THE FEDERAL MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, HON. JOHN BAIRD

Contact Information:
Telephone…613-996-0984
Fax………...613-996-9880
Email……..bairdj@parl.gc.ca
 

MUSQUASH MARINE PROTECTED AREA NOW OFFICIAL: A FIRST FOR NEW BRUNSWICK!

On Wednesday, March 7, 2007 Fisheries and Oceans Canada officially announced the protection of the Musquash Estuary as a federal marine protected area. This is New Brunswick's first MPA, protected by regulation under the Canada Oceans Act.

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick nominated Musquash as an MPA in 1998, and then launched a 9-year campaign to achieve its official protection. Fundy Baykeeper David Thompson led the Musquash MPA campaign on behalf of CCNB, marshalling support from the Fundy North Fishermen's Association whose member’s fish in the estuary, local communities, residents and land owners, and conservation groups such as World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited. David also facilitated the formation of Friends of Musquash and serves as its chairman. This group of local landowners and residents serves as a community liaison group for DFO on management issues for the MPA.

Musquash is the only major estuary in the Bay of Fundy which has not been significantly degraded by development or pollution. This, along with its amazing natural features -- it contains representative samples of all the major Bay of Fundy habitats within its approximately 27 sq km area -- positions the estuary as an important estuarine environment to protect in perpetuity.

The Musquash, which has been threatened many times in the past by proposals for dredging, port development for coal terminals, LNG support docks, chemical industries, metal smelters, aquaculture sites, and shoreline mineral extraction, will now be protected from these types of activities. The area will also be protected from activities such as sea-bed dragging and rockweed harvesting. However, current low impact activities such as lobster fishing, herring shut off, weirs, clam digging, and dulse gathering will be permitted to continue within the estuary. 

This year Fundy Baykeeper intents to host a big celebration for New Brunswick’s first MPA in the Bay of Fundy, along side our annual paddle in mid-July. Keep watch for the date.