Roberts Bank is better suited as a shipping point for Alberta diluted bitumen than Burnaby, according to a group of B.C. engineers.
Concerned Professional Engineers (CPE) recently filed its opinion with the National Energy Board, stating Kinder Morgan's plan for an expansion of the Trans Canada pipeline between Alberta and Burnaby poses too many risks, especially having tankers carry crude through Burrard Inlet.
"In our opinion," said CPE spokesman Brian Gunn, "an analysis is needed to predict what would happen if a loaded Aframax vessel collided with the railway bridge or the highway bridge at the Second Narrows. We need to know what the expected damage to these bridges would be, and what would happen if one of these vessels loaded with an oil product were to hit the foundations of a bridge and release its cargo into the sea."
CPE said it has conducted its own analysis and concluded that Roberts Banks presents a "superior alternative" to Burnaby. Not only could larger vessels be accommodated, but pipeline transportation could be available along the Roberts Bank rail right-of-way.
"At present, the margin for error is simply too high," Gunn said. "Dilbit has never been sufficiently tested in a marine environment and poses a threat to Vancouver's shores. The tankers pose a threat because they are loaded with dilbit and expected to negotiate narrow passages.
"Ultimately, we would like to see dilbit processed into light crude before it even leaves the Prairies, but at the very least, safer routes for the transportation of dilbit must be found."
The engineers' proposal, as expected, isn't sitting well with Against Port Expansion, which is already lobbying against the proposed Terminal 2 project at Roberts Bank. Roger Emsley said it's the most nonsensical, irresponsible suggestion the group has heard in a long time.
"Clearly they have little, if any, knowledge of the environment in and around Roberts Bank. If they did, then they would quickly realize that this is the very worst place from which to ship dilbit," said Emsley.
"Roberts Bank is recognized both in Canada and internationally as a critical ecosystem and one of the richest and most important areas in terms of biodiversity and abundant wildlife on the west coast of Canada.
"The Roberts Bank port lies in the very heart of an area of extremely high ecological importance and sensitivity. Any further port development on Roberts Bank is likely to have an irreversible impact on one of the most significant ecological areas in the whole of North America," he said.
Kinder Morgan's plan to twin the pipeline has received heavy opposition from environmental activists as well as the cities of Burnaby and Vancouver.
According to a company official in a recent interview, Kinder Morgan remains focused solely on the existing proposal, noting Roberts Bank has not been listed in the application as a contingency.
The official also said the question of whether Roberts Bank could be part of the expansion has been raised by groups and individuals granted intervener status by the NEB, which must still hear the proposal. In response, the company has said, "There's no plan or proposal in the works for an expansion involving Delta."
