Port Metro Vancouver's Coal Export Plans

Exposed in the media:

Georgia Straight Nov 22 2012

Vancouver Sun Nov 24 2012

The Tyee Nov 26 2012

Surrey Leader Nov 28 2012

Globe and Mail Nov 29 2012

Georgia Straight Nov 29 2012

Business in Vancouver Nov 29 2012 (Note error here; in fact, metallurgical coal is as big a threat to climate as thermal coal.)

Fraser Surrey Docks direct to barge coal export facility:

8 Million Tonnes of Coal per year.

Details on the Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) web site. This entirely new coal port, if built, would be used by BNSF to ship Powder River Basin coal to Asia.

BNSF already ships 8 million tonnes of Powder River coal out of Westshore Terminals (Roberts Bank) in Delta.  This new port would double the volume of US coal heading out of BC.

Neptune Terminals Coal Handling Expansion:

6 Million Tonnes of Coal per year.

Details on the PMV web site. This plan would increase the terminal's existing export capacity by one third to 18 million tonnes per year. Note that proponents argue that the terminal so far exports only metallurgical coal, used to make steel. It's almost as if they think this gives them a free pass.  It doesn't -- metallurgical coal is just as bad for the climate.  Read more about that problem (and some solutions) here.

Add it up with existing coal exports from PMV:

Metro Vancouver -- the largest coal exporter in N America.

All together Port Metro Vancouver would be exporting more than 50 million tonnes of coal per year.  The next closest competitor, Norfolk Va, only exports 43 million tonnes of coal per year.

When burned, this coal would release more global warming pollution each year than all the bitumen that would flow out of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

If we are going to do our share of the work needed to avoid runaway climate change, this simply can't happen.