We do need energy policy
We don't need oil port
UFAWU members Harry Diamond and Don Taylor were retained by the union to assist in promoting participation by all sections of the fishing industry at the West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry community hearing at Steveston October 21 and 22. Fishery Opposition to Tankers and Oil Ports coordinator Arnie Thomlinson prepared these questions and answers to assist them in their work.
Question: Will Canada need a West coast oil port?
Answer: No, provided we adopt these measures:
— Phase out our exports of Alberta crude to the U.S. or continue this export by negotiating a barrel for barrel swap, whereby Alberta crude exported to the central U.S. is replaced by foreign crude delivered to the U.S. East coast or gulf coast ports and delivered to eastern Canada by pipeline. The port facilities and most of the needed pipelines already exist.
— Replace our 'conventional' crude by conversion of coal into gas and synthetic petroleum substitutes, while speeding up development of Alberta heavy oil sands. To primitive methods now being used by Syncrude must be added new ones. The necessary technology has been developing through 20 years of experimentation in Canada. Other countries, such as the USSR, already use these methods.
By immediate adoption of a rational energy policy, Canada
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GULF and FRASER FISHERMEN'S CREDIT UNION
803 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6A1R8 Telephone 254-6266
will never need a West coast oil port.
Question: Wouldn't it be better to supply our needs by importing oil through West coast oil ports?
Answer: No, for the following reasons.
The import oil will be depleted in 10 to 20 years.
The few short term jobs generated by oil port and pipeline construction do little to alleviate our unemployment crisis.
The long term damage to shorelines and our fishery resulting from inevitable oil spills far exceeds the value of these short term benefits.
Capital tied up in these short lived ports and pipelines would thus be unavailable to develop our coal, petroleum and alternate energy resources.
In 10 to 20 years we would be left with useless ports and pipelines, a ruined fishery, fouled coastline and a genuine energy crisis.
Question: Should we be good neighbors and help the U.S. solve her energy crisis?
'Keep oil out of B.C. waters'
PORT ALBERNI — Robert Skelly, New Democratic MLA for Alberni, believes the Social Credit government "is probably overjoyed that the very dangerous Kitimat pipeline proposal is going to get another chance."
When the U.S. Congress passed legislation prohibiting oil port construction east of Port Angeles Skelly commented that he "would not be at all surprised if there have been a dozen phone calls between corporation offices in New York and Socred cabinet ministers' offices in Victoria within the past 24 hours."
Answer: Yes, but with these qualifications.
In doing so we should not squander our own resources. A gallon for gallon swap would be mutually beneficial.
In doing so we should not risk our other resources or lose control of our own lands and waters.
Oil ports and supertankers in the B.C. coast or in the Strait of Juan de Fuca or Puget Sound are neither useful nor acceptable means of helping our meighbors.
Question: How then can the U.S. satisfy her needs?
Answer: She has two 'needs.' She must dispose of up to one million barrels each day of Alaska sour crude. The northern and mid-western U.S. will need imported oil, but mainly sweet crude. Therefore, a West coast oil port can help them only if extensive remodelling of refineries is made, and /or the Alaska crude is blended with large proportions of sweet crude. These could be achieved through use of West coast ports, but two or three would be needed to handle one million barrels per day of Alaska crude plus equally large volumes of foreign crude.
Several better alternatives are possible.
— Swap the sour Alaskan crude by taking it to Japan and importing into East coast and gulf coast ports an equal value of sweet crude from Indonesia or the Middle East.
— Continue to take Alaskan crude to the eastern ports by small tankers via Panama Canal. This is already being done on a small scale.
The huge volumes of Alaskan crude plus foreign crude arriving by supertankers — most of which would be the notorious flags of convenience type vessels — spell certain disaster to the West coast of Canada and the U.S.
* Cuba has turned to ferrocement in a big way for construction of vessels for its shrimp fleet, as these pictures show. In the shipyard at Cardenas, Matanzas province (top) work proceeds on six boats simultaneously. A boat of the FC-4 class (bottom), here seen being outfitted, has a length of 18.26 metres, a beam of 5.40 metres and a draft of 2.50 metres, is powered by a 300 hp engine developing a speed of eight knots, can remain at sea for five days without refuelling, and carries a crew of eight.
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MARCONI
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INTRODUCES THE UNIQUE COMPACT CDX-11 LOR AN C.
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MARINE & LAND COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION 1460 VENABLES ST., VANCOUVER, B.C. (604) 253-5551 □ 10524—106TH ST., EDMONTON, ALTA. (403) 426-5901 □ Nanaimo (604) 753-8521 □ Victoria (604) 384-4233 □ Port McNeill (604) 956-3633 □ Calgary (403) 243-7751
THE FISHERMAN — OCTOBER 24, 1977/7