those coal company executives

are whistling past the graveyard. They actually think that China's inevitable crash with happen "over there" and they themselves will be somehow able to escape the consequences of global environmental collapse. Silly bastards living in a dream world of privilege

China Coal

Why are we suddenly so concerned about shipping coal to China? For many years, through the Port of Vancouver, coal was shipped from two terminals in Vancuver and later through Delta Port. Our country even subsidized the coal transport, rail and storage facilities, etc. Coal that was destined to the great steel mills of South Korea, India et al. Nobody, then, seemed too concerned about the pollution aspect, and believe me, the advances that we now have for dust suppression were not even considered in those days. Yes, we've come a long way in understanding the effect of green house gases, but thankfully, we are continuously expanding our range of knowledge on how to tame the beast. Is the sky only falling because the Chinese are a threat(?) or a "state-owned corporation". I'd rather have that, than the Canadian? "branch plants" that send out their profits to New York and Brussels and don't give a fig if they destroy the landscape. China's presence is welcome in other parts of the world, where their involvement is welcome, due to the fact that they honour their commitments and respect the laws of the nations that they deal with. They even consider the issue of importing their nationals to work in other countries, and how it reflects on Canadian values.

Don't we already have 2

Don't we already have 2 'super ports' for coal? One is Roberts Bank near the mouth of the Fraser River and the other is up at Prince Rupert's Ridley Island? I don't think it makes sense to build a off-loading facility on the Fraser and another off-loading and a on-loading facility on Texada; that's just double-handling the product which would then cost more. And what do the dear people on Texada have to say? I use to know a few people on Texada and I know what some of them would say; "Are they fucking nuts?" Or something like that.

the folks

I know on Texada and in Powell River are apt to say "don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out...".

All this shipping and handling, shipping and handling... someone has been smoking some of Texada's world famous Time Warp...

Van Isle

Neptune, on the north shore, is a third terminal and rumour has it Port Moody may start shipping coal again.

The only thing that mystifies me is the double handling of the product. It doesn't seem to make much sense. There was also a rumour that CN ran a BN test train to Rupert which also seems like a bit of an economic stretch.

Check before making inaccurate statements

Sorry Cochrane, you just ain't been paying attention to the mainstream media for long enough.

Roughly a decade or more ago, the mainstream media punched out articles about how the coal that was shipped from sites like Tumbler Ridge in its earlier days, to Japan and S. Korea, there burnt for industrial purposes, and then how the particulate matter was transported by the Prevailing Westerlies back to North America, and deposited in our high alpine lakes and went on to contaminate many of our fresh water fish through bio-accumulation up the food chain. Not so pristine clean lakes up there and it all comes downstream.

Even before the Governator took power, California clean air regulators complained that they were unable to meet their targets due to incoming pollutants from Asia, long before the Chinese broke onto the scene big-time.

It was either Australian Flannery or Brit Mombiot that wrote, "oil is a crisis, but coal is a catastrophe".

"believe me, the advances that we now have for dust suppression". Maybe not dust, but try telling that to the citizens of Shanghai, Beijing, Delhi (you should have gone with little Stevie to the near invisible Taj Mahal) and so many other major cities, for that matter southern Ontario and Quebec summers when energy depends on US east coast coal plants (yeah, some of them are aged, but not all). All of Muskoka and N.B. under smog alerts? Please.

Particulate matter generally settles very quickly, kinda like after a dust storm, but CO2 takes decades, even centuries to drop out of the atmosphere.

"China's presence is welcome in other parts of the world, where their involvement is welcome". Perhaps you should check with Belgium, Chad and others before making such generalized statements.

Coal burning really is bad news, even with so called "clean coal", ain't no such thing, a little bit cleaner with new scrubbing technologies maybe, but not when it comes to CO2 emissions.

But it's cheap and profitable, as the Coche brothers well know, damn the consequences, full speed ahead. Crank it up, won't be around to see the blowback.

Snert, "If we don't move it someone else will." No, much of it is on/under Canadian land and none, not even the US, will invade to get it, unless our government gives it away for a pittance. "coal handling capacity will deliver 50 more high-paying jobs". 50 in a city of how many? Now that's really impressive.

But you are correct about Texada island. So far away from Haro straight. Really big ships going back and forth up the Georgia straight is worse than just inefficient. Island visitors to Parksville, Comox, Hornby and the Sunshine coast surely won't be impressed, let alone residents. Could expand that existing Delta coal port instead? But that would piss off many others. and be even more likely be blocked.

American coal, American port

Oh yeah, it's mostly US coal shipped by "Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway". So how about a coal port in Puget sound or somewhere near Bellingham?

coal ports expanding all over BC

Westport coal terminal in Tsawwassen has already completed its expansion increasing the amount of coal it can ship by 30%.

Prince Rupert's Ridley Island Terminal is undergoing expansion to double its capacity to store and ship coal.

Neptune on the north shore is expanding its capacity and adding new shiploading and rail car dumping capacity.

All in all, these expansions without the Fraser River port will when complete expand BC's coal handling capacity by more than 20 million tonnes.

Snert is correct that dust will be a problem but also given that the Fraser River along with its tributaries is still one of the major salmon spawning rivers in the world.

Every coal port I have been to dumps significant coal into the water body adjacent to it through the shiploading process.

This proposal to ship coal from the Fraser Port in Surrey should go through the BC and Canadian Environmental Assessment review process.

BNSF coal train cars

On a regular basis, Snert, BNSF coal train cars are delivered to Prince Rupert by CN trains. The coal cars from Montana and Wyoming's Powder River area travel over 2400 kms to Prince Rupert for international shipment.

Arch Coal from Wyoming signed a 5 year deal with Ridley Terminals in January 2011 and is shipping 2 million tonnes of coal per year out of Prince Rupert.

There just isn't any more space on the west coast to ship coal hence Prince Rupert.

There are two other coal port facility proposals on the table in Washington State. To see the difference between how our port authority can proceed without adequate consultation and how those in Washington State cannot check out the process required by law going on there.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/bellingham-wa-coal-terminal-meeting_n_1368942.html

If the coal port just north of Bellingham is built it will surpass all of the coal port capacity in BC.

If the other 3 ports are developed in both Washington and Oregon States will there be a need for more expansion in BC?

pwlg

The particular BNSF test(?) that I was referring to was a train from Washington State. Shipping coal from the Powder River basin through Prince Rupert does make sense. No problems there.

Neptune has completed its upgrades so it can now handle longer trains. This has been in the works for a while but I see that CP's new boss has glommed on to it as a potential feather in his cap.

6 new coal ports planned in US to avoid shipping from BC =

So who came up with a plan to make money from US coal exports given US plans to develop six new coal loading ports, one in Bellingham and another in Longview? Read Sightline.org report on coal port failures in Pacific coast states due to coal's boom bust cycle. And right now Coal is in its bust cycle w/ third world countries developing their resources. So how does the Finance Minister respond to this new spending madness in light of his no new spending mantra.

six new coal ports in US being planned to avoid shipping thru BC

What US coal? With coal exports plunging and six new coal loading ports being planned in Oregon and Washington, one in Bellingham, who is doing the math? Isn't BC already in debt and the Finance Minister warned, no new spending?