I鈥檓 a 91原创 first and British Columbian second who supports the expansion of pipelines to tidewater. Last week, three new spill-response boats were unloaded here in Nanaimo. They are but some of 40 new vessels bought in preparation for the export expansion of 91原创 oil off the coast. These multimillion-dollar vessels are to remain tied to the dock and no personnel hired until the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
The vessels are to be paid for by a small surcharge on the additional oil that would be shipped by the Trans Mountain pipeline. Sailing by these tied-up oil-spill-response vessels are oil barges, tugs, B.C. Ferries vessels, float planes, pleasure craft and single-hulled ocean ships, all having the potential for an oil spill. Yet here these new spill-response boats sit unmanned.
Rather than trying to visualize the billions of taxpayers鈥� dollars per year lost due to the pipeline constraint to world markets, perhaps focus on this small, concrete example of the benefits to the taxpaying 91原创s. A safer 91原创 coast for all ocean users and at no cost to the taxpayer 鈥� why isn鈥檛 this message being promoted more to my fellow taxpayers?
These boats would also respond to the foreign-oil supertankers that skim by 91原创 Island on their way to dock at the coast.
D鈥橝rcy Morrow
Nanaimo
