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Fraser River not the place for LNG expansion

Editor: This hazardous Tilbury LNG expansion project must not be located along the Fraser River.

Editor:

This hazardous Tilbury LNG expansion project must not be located along the Fraser River.

As a retired system safety engineer, I must object most strongly to this dangerous, unforgivable folly of ignoring people’s lives by exposing the public and the environment to a horrific explosion, blast wave and fire hazard. This is more dangerous than living next to any of Canada's nuclear power stations.

The location of this proposed expanded liquefaction and storage facility and related terminal and LNG tanker traffic has rare but very high consequence hazards that violate the guidelines of the International Maritime Organization.

The Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulations strongly argue against locating LNG plants near human populations and/or in narrow inland waterways with significant aircraft, ferry, freighter and recreational traffic.

The expanded Tilbury LNG tank and the LNG tankersand terminal are vulnerable to earthquakes and high impact security/arsonist/terrorist threats which are not predictable. The human death toll and environmental damage cannot be mitigated.

The danger zone around the LNG storage facility, related LNG loading terminal and LNG tanker traffic along the Fraser River to the Salish Sea encompasses many residential areas and sensitive environmental habitats. This is entirely unacceptable.

LNG terminals and shipping lanes must not be located where LNG vapors from a spill or release can afflict civilians and damage the environment irreparably.

Jim Ronback