Urgent Action: No further increases in crude oil tanker traffic

WHEREAS:

1. Crude oil  exports originating in Port Metro Vancouver have significantly increased  overall since 2005, and

2. The Kinder Morgan Transmountain pipeline brings diluted bitumen  from Alberta’s tar sands to be loaded at their Westridge terminal in Burnaby, and

3. Kinder Morgan has announced plans to increase pipeline  capacity to its Westridge terminal which would in turn further increase crude oil  tanker traffic up to 300 transits a year, and

4. Tankers carrying tar sands crude oil (diluted bitumen)  transit the ecologically sensitive waters of Burrard Inlet, Georgia Strait, the  Southern Gulf Islands and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and

5. Oil spill response capabilities on Canada’s west coast are  not enough to handle a catastrophic spill in a timely fashion, and

6. Oil spill clean ups rarely recover more than 20% of the  spilled oil, and

7.The unique ecology and social fabric, as well as the economy,  of this region will be adversely affected by any oil spill.

We, the undersigned citizens of British Columbia,  Canada and the world, strongly request that

1. No further increases in  crude oil tanker traffic are allowed

2. A complete public  consultation is undertaken for current tanker traffic

3. More  extensive tug escort requirements are implemented

4. A comprehensive risk  analysis is completed for the entire journey of crude oil tankers in Canadian  waters that looks at the full social, economic and environmental consequences  of a spill.

5. A full cost benefit  analysis of shipping tar sands crude oil through BC is conducted including all social,  environmental and economic costs of a spill in and around the Strait of  Georgia

6. Shipping  activities helping this region move  beyond fossil fuels are encouraged while those supporting fossil fuel dependence  are discouraged.