K
I
T
I
M
A
T
Sentinel
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 58 No. 46
Black speaks to councillors Cameron Orr David Black, who heads up a company called Kitimat Clean, made his first public appearance at a Kitimat Council meeting, speaking at length about his proposed oil refinery. Black, who is also the chairman of Black Press, the company which owns the Kitimat Northern Sentinel, was an unscheduled presenter at the November 4 meeting. As overview, Black touted the $26 billion price tag the entirety of his proposal would cost, including $18 billion for the refinery, $6 billion for a pipeline to supply the refinery, $1 billion for a fleet of tankers, and $1 billion for a share of a natural gas pipeline. The refinery had earlier been estimated at $15 billion however the inclusion of Fischer-Tropsch technology, which he credits will reduce the refinery’s emissions from 7 million tonnes year to 3.5 million, will add a $3 billion premium to its cost. Black spoke to issues such as Canada’s energy policy, to the safety of pipelines. “Canada’s in danger of getting a lot of its oil landlocked, and a huge part of our economy in Canada is tied to being able to export our oil,” he said, noting we can only sell our oil to the United States at a significant discount. He also pointed out that the U.S. is needing to import less and less oil as they refine their own supply. “So we are fighting with all the other exporters in the U.S. for a diminishing pie,” he said. “Meanwhile the oil we’re producing is going up. So we are desperate for pipelines running somewhere other than the U.S.” On the issue of pipelines, Black said with projects like Enbridge’s Northern Gateway, the problem as he sees it is not in the pipeline but in the tankers. “Modern pipelines don’t leak,” he said, pointed to U.S. statistics. He said the numbers show only a handful of leaks over a barrel in the last 10 years, a third of those caused by excavators, and very few from ruptures. He said the pipe that ran through Kalamazoo was an older pipe and he is referring to modern construction. He admits that pinhole leaks, which could leak litres of oil a day with no alarm, are still a problem. He did say during his presentation that if he can’t get Enbridge to bring their proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to serve his refinery — which he has asked for and been denied by the company — then he hopes to serve the refinery with a separate pipeline, or by rail. Continued on page 9
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
$
Darius Niijer, 5, took over the fire hall after being the lucky winner of the Fire Chief For a Day. Students in Kitimat are entered into the draw by creating a fire escape plan for their home. Niijer was picked up from Nechako Elementary just after 10 a.m. and spent a day riding fire trucks, spraying the fire hose, wearing the equipment, and later meeting the mayor over lunch.
KHAG awaits further talks on SO2
The Kitimat Health Advocacy Group (KHAG) is encouraging the public to get informed about sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Rio Tinto Alcan’s modernized smelter, and saying people should send letters to the company if they have concerns about the new emissions. KHAG Chair Rob Goffinet said they anticipate meeting with Rio Tinto Alcan in the near future to discuss their position on SO2, including consultation with representatives from the Ministry of Environment. As a health advocacy group they are obviously concerned about the possible health impacts to Kitimat residents from increases in SO2 emissions. This issue relates to the eventual new emissions once RTA opens production on their modernization smelter. While most emissions will see a dramatic reduction, and an overall 50 per cent reduction in emissions, SO2 is the single increase on the list, which is said to be rising along with increased aluminum production. Sulphur Dioxide is increasing by 56 per cent to 42 tonnes per day, according to company numbers. One of KHAG’s own members, Dorothy Cheyne, is particularly concerned with any additional emissions in the air.
She has long struggled with air quality, and carries and inhaler with her wherever she goes. “When it’s bad here...I don’t go outdoors. I just can’t,” said Cheyne, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “And there’s many of us here in Kitimat that have this, and they’re all worried about what’s going to happen once [the smelter] starts up.” She said she’s had former doctors tell her her breathing issues relate to emissions from the RTA smelter. She said she did not have a problem with the Eurocan Pulp and Paper mill. Goffinet said they’ll be questioning the company on exactly why SO2 emissions have to go up. “To me, why would you reduce everything and have this one glaring exception?” asked Goffinet, adding that with the reduction in other emissions the smelter will be much healthier. But he’s also concerned about the people who work in the smelter. If someone 10 kilometres away like Dorothy may be impacted, what about the people right at the smelter, he wondered. He said not mitigating SO2 emissions paints a target on RTA. Continued on page 9
PM477761
B.C. and Alberta firm up framework ... page 3