Dear Editor:
Re: City gets risks, few benefits, Burnaby NOW, Oct. 5.
The more people who become part of the campaign to stop Kinder Morgan's TransMountain pipeline expansion, the more willing we all seem to be to speak truth to power.
Mayor Corrigan is right when he says Burnaby is going to be left with extreme risks and very few benefits from the project. In addition to having the pipeline capacity more than double, there will also be increased tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet, possibly requiring a dredging of the inlet.
The environmental costs of such a dredging, and the continual potential for a spill in or around Burnaby waters and land is too much of a burden for a dozen or so permanent jobs.
Those of us who live in the neighbourhood of the last leak will never forget how awful the pipeline was when it was only pumping 300,000 barrels a day.
More than doubling the capacity is going to present more of an environmental risk than Kinder Morgan is willing to admit, and I'm grateful to the mayor and council for standing up for Burnaby residents and opposing this pipeline expansion.
When will Kinder Morgan start explaining and answering questions?
Citizens still have no idea what Mr. Anderson's spill cleanup plan is, or if that was just stated to alleviate concerns.
What about dredging the Inlet? Who pays for that, and who deals with the environmental impact from species displacement?
Too many questions and no answers, say no to Kinder Morgan.
Trevor Ritchie, Burnaby
