David Black right on about pipelines and bitumen
David Black’s article in the Citizen Wednesday, May 16, is right on.
Rail is the best way to ship bitumen to costal B.C. What is most dangerous to our economy and environment is diluted bitumen, as a spill of that could and probably would devastate our economy and environment. A rail accident of undiluted bitumen can be handled by things like back hoes or similar loaders and since it is on rail equipment may be quickly moved to site from ether direction by rail. There is railway access to the site where the coal is loaded.
The railway probably will need upgrading but that will provide on going employment for maintenance, not a one shot job opportunity like building a pipeline. The existing line could be directed to a refinery to produce products to serve our needs.
I have many relatives and friends who work on pipelines and most say the cost of building a line is recuperated in less time than it takes to build it. This dispute is political and the only one to profit is Kinder Morgan and Canada and the provinces and the tax payers will be the ones that pay.
Those that have researched the situation as Mr. Black has will know there is a good-for-everyone answer; thinking, not playing politics could be good to the taxpayers’ pocket books.
Bitumen OK; bitumen with dilbit, devastating.
John A. Mc Donald
Duncan