The Wilderness Committee says everything in the Salish Sea area affects us

There is a large focus on the movement of dangerous goods in this province, but have you thought of what is happening just to the south of us?

When it comes to the potential environmental impact of oil and coal transport in Whatcom County, Eoin Madden with the Wilderness Committee says movement doesn’t just stop at the 49th parallel.

“Whether it’s BC or Washington State, it is all part of the Salish Sea coastal region,” he says. “So what we are trying to do is get the message across to people that the Salish Sea itself is becoming synonymous with climate change… It is where a huge amount of fossil fuels are being exported.”

He says the whole issue is also a very political one.

“If they push that coal up here — we see that in the proposals to build the [Fraser Surrey Docks] — US thermal coal is finding its way onto the docks at the major terminal at Tsawwassen,” he explains.

There has also recently been more discussions around transporting oil by rail.