VANCOUVER – The Wilderness Committee is expressing its support for a new resolution passed by the City of White Rock on February 25th to request that the City of Surrey not proceed with the proposed Fraser Surrey Docks Direct Coal Transfer facility expansion.

The Fraser Surrey Docks proposal is one of two coal port expansion proposals that have been considered by Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) in recent months. The other proposal – for the expansion of coal shipping facilities at North Vancouver’s Neptune Terminals – was approved by PMV in January 2013, despite strong public objections.

“The fact that these decisions are being made by an unelected board with little or no consideration of public opposition reveals a big problem in the approval process,” said Eoin Madden, the Wilderness Committee’s Climate Change Campaigner.

“Elected officials like Mayor Wright of New Westminster and Mayor Robertson of Vancouver have voiced the concerns of those affected by these mega-projects, only to find themselves shut out of the approval process by the Port. We are very appreciative that White Rock City Council has stepped up now to help get democracy back into this process,” Madden said.

The resolution states that the City of White Rock will write to the City of Surrey outlining health and environmental concerns with respect to the potential increase of coal train traffic through White Rock, and asks Surrey to reject the Fraser Surrey Docks coal facility proposal. Other municipal leaders have also spoken up about the proposed increases in coal shipping capacity, including Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who wrote a letter urging the port authority to consult further before making decisions on these proposals.

When combined with the existing coal shipping capacity at Metro Vancouver ports, the expansions at Neptune Terminals and Fraser Surrey Docks would make this region the largest exporter of coal in North America. The Wilderness Committee believes that all coal port expansions in the region should be halted, due to the serious health and climate change implications associated with increasing fossil fuel exports from BC.

“Coal is the most destructive means of creating energy on the planet. From the mercury it puts in our lungs, to the enormous contribution it makes to climate change, our coal dependence is grinding us down. Thankfully many folks in BC want to take responsibility for our part in this mess, and the Port needs to wake up to that fact,” said Madden.

“This resolution is part of the fast-growing resistance to coal port expansion in Metro Vancouver. Port Metro Vancouver needs to heed the voices of the people that live here, and stop these coal port expansions,” he said.