Press Release
July 30, 2003
Orcas Threatened Further By Recommended Approval of Georgia Strait Pipeline Crossing
VANCOUVER - The highly controversial Georgia Strait Pipeline Crossing (GSX) was recommended for approval this afternoon by the Joint Review Panel. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia Chapter (CPAWS-BC) is extremely concerned about the impact this pipeline will have on the already declining marine environment of the southern Strait of Georgia.
"The recommendation to approve the GSX pipeline is extremely disappointing", says Natalie Ban, Marine Campaign Coordinator for CPAWS-BC. "Strong evidence was submitted about the environmental harm this project will cause, and the panel refused to consider new evidence that arose after the hearings had finished about an alternate energy proposal by Terasen."
"The pipeline is likely to be noisy enough for it to be hard for the orcas to find sufficient already scarce food to survive - this might be a matter of life or death for them," said Dr. David Bain, PhD., with the University of Washington.
The southern resident population of killer whales was listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2001. This population is small (78 animals in 2001) and has declined by 20% from 1995-2001.
"No additional threats to this killer whale population are acceptable," said Sabine Jessen, Conservation Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - British Columbia Chapter (CPAWS-BC). "We are very concerned that this pipeline poses additional pressure on the whales that is significant enough to drive them towards extinction." There is also a population of harbour porpoises that will be highly impacted, particularly by the construction of the pipeline.
The Southern Strait of Georgia was one of five sites recently announced by Prime Minister Jean Chretien that will be considered as new national marine conservation areas (NMCAs). Administered by Parks Canada, NMCAs are intended to provide protection in perpetuity to important marine areas in Canada's ocean waters. The pipeline will cut through this proposed conservation area.
A local coalition of groups recently released their vision for the NMCA and are concerned that the proposed pipeline route goes through some of the most biologically important parts of the Southern Strait of Georgia. The area also harbours a grassroots transboundary stewardship initiative called the Orca Pass International Stewardship Area. "We are concerned about this type of industrial use within an area proposed to conserve the marine environment", said Natalie Ban, Marine Campaign Coordinator for CPAWS-BC, "and we believe that the new scientific evidence suggests that the ecological costs of proceeding with this project are simply too high." There is also concern that one of the proposed routes would transect through the Satellite Channel ecological reserve.
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Contact:
Natalie Ban
Marine Campaign Coordinator
CPAWS-BC
Tel: (604) 685-7445
The National Energy Board’s press release and the Joint Review Panel’s report can be found at: http://www.neb.gc.ca/index_e.htm
CPAWS - British Columbia Chapter