FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VANCOUVER, BC, Coast Salish Territories – West Coast Environmental Law Association issued the following statement in response to the federal government’s announcement today regarding new marine safety initiatives:
“West Coast Environmental Law welcomes today’s announcement of new federal investments in marine safety on BC’s precious coast. More money for coastal communities and more resources for the Coast Guard should help to improve the response to disasters like the recent spill in Heiltsuk Territory. The best way to truly prevent oil spills from tankers on the north coast is by formalizing a comprehensive, permanent oil tanker ban, and we are eager to learn the details about this vital step in the coming weeks.”
“We welcome the news of a new Marine Habitat Fund and look forward to details on this initiative. We need to do shipping right, and that means establishing geographic spill response plans tailored to the needs of each community. The province and First Nations worked for over a decade on comprehensive marine plans for the north coast through the Marine Planning Partnership (MaPP), and today’s announcement shows that the federal government, a key partner in all marine issues, is taking these marine plans seriously.”
“Today’s announcement is all about strengthening response capacity for existing shipping traffic. In no way does it pave the way for approval of the Kinder Morgan project, nor does it justify an increase in oil tankers or pipeline infrastructure that would increase tanker traffic – anywhere on the coast.”
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For more information, please contact:
Linda Nowlan | Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law
604-684-7378 ext. 217 (office), 778-875-5333 (cell)