YVR jet fuel transport arguments in Vancouver Court next week.
Judicial Review Hearing of Decision to Issue Environmental Assessment Certificate will be in British Columbia Supreme Court on November 26, 27, 2014
(Metro Vancouver) The controversial proposal to build a marine terminal and jet fuel storage facility in Richmond, and a pipeline to YVR will go before a judge next week in Vancouver.
On Nov. 26 and 27, 2014, VAPOR and Otto E. Langer will have their application for judicial review heard in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, arguing the public did not have a meaningful opportunity to comment on the project.
At issue is the December 2013 Environmental Assessment Certificate issued to the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC) by Minister of Environment Mary Polak and Minister for Natural Gas Development Rich Coleman. The Certificate permits the VAFFC to proceed with its Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project, which would see the construction of a marine terminal and fuel storage facility at the foot of Williams Road in East Richmond to receive jet fuel from tankers and barges travelling up the South Arm of the Fraser River. The very toxic and flammable jet fuel would be stored on the banks of the river in a tank farm close to condominiums and an entertainment and sports complex and shipped through the City of Richmond to Vancouver International Airport via a new pipeline.
VAPOR and Otto E. Langer argue that the public consultation, as required by the Environmental Assessment Act and the Environmental Assessment Office’s policies, was seriously inadequate in many ways so that it did not meet the standards required by law. For example, members of the public had only 7 days to review the Application in advance of the public comment period, which contained more than 1,500 pages of technical materials, and notices of opportunities to review the Application and provide comments were vague. A second example of this inadequacy is that notices that ran in the Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper, were published only in English.
For further comment, contact Otto E. Langer:
Otto E. Langer VAPOR President Cheryl Tobias QC
Fisheries and Aquatic Biologist VAPOR Legal Counsel
Phone 604 274 7655 Phone 604 345 3908
Email ottolanger@telus.net Email <ctbs@telus.net>