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Related: About this forumSuncor sneaks tar sands tankers into St. Lawrence and Great Lakes
Suncor is setting a precedent around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin with its new shipments of bitumen on the St. Lawrence River. On September 24, the first ever tanker to ship bitumen on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin left the port of Sorel-Tracey in Quebec. The tanker, the Minerva-Gloria, carried an estimated 700,000 barrels of bitumen to Sardinia, Italy which arrived on Tuesday at 4:22 p.m. local time. A second tanker, the Genmar Daphne, is expected to arrive in Sorel on Sunday, October 12 where it will be loaded, travel along the St. Lawrence River and transport another load of Alberta bitumen to Italy. There are plans to ship 20 to 30 vessels like this each year along the St. Lawrence River.
A spill would have catastrophic effects on this waterway that millions of people rely on for drinking water.
Transport Canada and the government of Quebec approved these shipments without a thorough environmental assessment, public consultation and free, prior and informed consent of indigenous communities and municipalities. The Council of Canadians opposes these shipments because of the risk they pose to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. Many other organizations, communities and First Nations are also deeply concerned about the threat of bitumen shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. These shipments set a dangerous precedent and present an increased threat to the waters of the Basin.
A spill would have catastrophic effects on this waterway that millions of people rely on for drinking water.
Transport Canada and the government of Quebec approved these shipments without a thorough environmental assessment, public consultation and free, prior and informed consent of indigenous communities and municipalities. The Council of Canadians opposes these shipments because of the risk they pose to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. Many other organizations, communities and First Nations are also deeply concerned about the threat of bitumen shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. These shipments set a dangerous precedent and present an increased threat to the waters of the Basin.
Two days before the first shipment departed, Bloc Québécois MP Mr. Louis Plamondon raised concerns about the ability of the federal government respond to a spill:
"Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the federal government prohibited ships wider than 32 metres from going up the St. Lawrence River any further than Quebec City. Today there is a 44-metre-wide ship docked at Sorel-Tracy to take on tens of thousands of tonnes of crude oil. In 2010, the auditor general was very critical of the federal governments ability to respond in the event of a marine oil spill.
Can the minister tell us whether the federal governments response capability meets the Auditor Generals requirements and prove that it is prepared to respond in the event of a spill, before increasing the frequency of this kind?"
Suncor's shipments could pave the way for a plan being hatched by Calumet Specialty Products to build an oil terminal in Superior, Wisconsin at the edge of Lake Superior and at the foot of the Alberta Clipper, a pipeline that transports Alberta crude from Edmonton. The oil terminal would be able to load one oil tanker or barge every four days, with each tanker being able to hold about 77,000 barrels of crude oil and a 400-foot-long barge being able to hold about 110,000 barrels. Thirteen million barrels of crude oil could be shipped across the Great Lakes each year.
More at: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/making-waves/2014/10/suncor-sneaks-tar-sands-tankers-st-lawrence-and-great-lakes
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Suncor sneaks tar sands tankers into St. Lawrence and Great Lakes (Original Post)
Joe Shlabotnik
Oct 2014
OP
Not Lake Superior, PLEASE!!! One screw-up there and it will destroy some of the most beautiful
postulater
Oct 2014
#1
postulater
(5,075 posts)1. Not Lake Superior, PLEASE!!! One screw-up there and it will destroy some of the most beautiful
shoreline in the world.
Between the oil terminal and the Penokee Mine, the money people are raping our state.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)3. +1000
I love all of the Great Lakes, kind of partial to Erie (spent my teen years off of it). If Superior goes down, they all do.
hollysmom
(5,946 posts)2. every last piece of earth has to be destroyed to enrich some peoples pockets - do they really think
they will be safe on mars some day? some things money can't buy.
pansypoo53219
(20,977 posts)4. humans are this stupid. greed kills.
newfie11
(8,159 posts)5. There's some nasty weather on Lake Superior
many many ship wrecks on all the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald comes to mind but there have been many more on Lake Superior.
This is a mega disaster in the making.
enough
(13,259 posts)6. k&r (nt)
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)7. Unforgiveable. Right before our eyes, and we are powerless. n/t