Press Category: Tankers and Spills

Media Release: December 20, 2004 Victoria, BC – BC Hydro & Williams Gas Pipeline announced earlier today that their GSX pipeline project is finally well and truly dead. The need for natural gas on Vancouver Island was overestimated and less expensive and less damaging alternatives are available. The same economic and environmental arguments should now help cancel the proposed Duke…

About Seismic TestingSeismic testing uses intense noise levels of approximately 230 decibels to locate deposits of oil and gas beneath the sea floor. Whales have been shown to avoid seismic noise at received levels of around 130 dB in water.During seismic testing, air guns are fired at 11-second intervals, 24 hours per day, creating a din that can cause physiological…

Media Release: April 18, 2005 VICTORIA, BC – The federal government’s draft regulations for seismic testing fall short of addressing negative impacts on the marine environment, according to Oil Free Coast, a national coalition of scientists, environmental groups and fisheries organizations. Fisheries and Oceans Canada released its draft Statement of Canadian Practice on the Mitigation of Seismic Noise February 19.Seismic…

Media Release: November 17, 2005 VANCOUVER, BC – Environmental groups from coast to coast condemned the federal government today for eliminating regulations it had recently put in place to protect Canada’s marine life. Federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion has announced that the first exploratory drilling in an offshore area will no longer require a comprehensive study under the Canadian Environmental…

Mustel Provincial Omnibus poll501 respondentsSurvey Conducted: January 10-16, 2006Methodology: Random sample of 501 BC adults, 18 years of age and overMargin of Error: +/- 4.4% at the 95% confidence level Since 1972 the Canadian federal government has banned oil tankers from transporting crude oil through BC’s inside passage to protect the coast from oil spills. Now Ottawa is considering allowing…

Media Release: January 19, 2006 Political Parties asked to clarify for voters their positions on offshore oil and gas issues Vancouver-According to a new Mustel Group poll of 501 British Columbians, commissioned by the Dogwood Initiative and other not-for-profit groups, three out of four (75%) of British Columbians are opposed to oil tankers transporting crude oil through BC’s inside coastal…

Condensate tanker docked in Kitimat this weekend after passing through BC’s inside passageMedia Release: June 26, 2006 Vancouver- Oil tankers are being allowed to secretly enter BC’s fragile inside waters despite widespread public opposition and a 34-year old federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas activities, which includes oil tanker traffic. Natural Resources Canada most recently confirmed the moratorium in…

Media Release: December 14, 2006 SOINTULA, B.C. — The public should be making a big noise over proposed seismic blasting that may injure or even kill marine life on the B.C. coast. Environmental groups are urging Canadians to tell Ottawa they oppose the plan, which would see 36 high-pressure air guns fired into coastal waters every 20-60 seconds, 24 hours…

Vancouver, BC – BC environmental groups are applauding the decision of Canada’s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to withdraw funding for a harmful seismic blasting project proposed for the North Coast waters, which is home to a rich diversity of marine life, including humpback whales, orcas, and many stocks of migrating salmon. “We are pleased that NSERC decided…