Editor:
Re: Major concerns over Woodfibre LNG (Letters, Coast Reporter, May 29).
For Woodfibre LNG Limited, which is proposing to build a liquefied natural gas processing and export facility at the site of a former pulp mill about seven km from Squamish, safety is our priority.
Should our project move forward, three to four times per month an LNG carrier will travel from international waters and into Howe Sound via Queen Charlotte Channel, using the existing shipping lanes. Each carrier will be loaded with LNG at the Woodfibre LNG terminal, and about 24 hours after arriving, the carrier will follow the same route back to international waters.
LNG carriers are designed for the safe transport of LNG, including complex containment systems and double-hull protection. In addition, each LNG carrier arriving at the Woodfibre LNG terminal will be escorted by at least three tugboats, at least one of which will be tethered, and piloted by two BC Coast pilots who are experts on our coast. These measures will also help to ensure the safe shared use of Howe Sound with recreational boaters and other commercial traffic during LNG carrier transits.
In the highly unlikely event of an LNG spill, LNG does not mix with water. Rather, it returns to a gas state and quickly dissipates, meaning no environmental cleanup.
Woodfibre LNG Limited is also committed to being a good steward of the environment. Woodfibre LNG’s seawater cooling system will be designed to minimize effects on the marine environment. More than 2,200 truckloads of contaminated sediment and woodchips have already been removed from the foreshore of the site. In addition, Woodfibre LNG is committed to removing about 3,000 creosoted coated piles from the foreshore, and will also create a green zone around Mill Creek — measures that will help create an ecologically functioning habitat for fish and marine plants as well as support the rehabilitation of Howe Sound.
John French, community relations manager, Woodfibre LNG
