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What How Where?

Compliance Energy Corporation and partners are proposing a new coal mine on Vancouver Island. See Compliance  page on The Raven Underground Coal Project.  The mine would be located in the Tsable River watershed between Parksville and Courtenay on Vancouver Island: about 5 km from Denman Island. See map and full description on Coalwatch.ca

Consequences

  • Sixteen  years of mining, processing, and transporting coal, mere kilometres from Denman Island – 24 hours/day
  • Potential noise, light and air pollution; decrease in property values;  B-train coal trucks every 20 min
  • Seventeen million tons of waste rock on the mine site, with serious risks to water quality and quantity by Acid Mine Drainage; heavy metals and other toxins hostile to fish, wildlife, habitats and humans
  • Risk to the marine environment of Baynes Sound and the $24 million shellfish industry, employing 500+ people
  • Uncertainty about the corporation’s liability regime, and  sufficiency of funds to protect the public from costs of accidents and malfunctions during the project, and after decommissioning
  • Significant contribution to global Climate Change from the project’s carbon footprint (including 127,500 cubic meters/day of methane emissions) and the export of our carbon ½ way around the world to Asia
  • The possibility that more mines (the Bear Project) could be opened in Compliance’s extensive coal rights in the Beaufort range

More Mine Talking Points
Threats to Comox Valley communities, probable environmental impacts, the BC Environmental Review Process, the Raven Mine Proposal, and the  background of coal mining on Vancouver Island.
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Hidden Dangers
Clean up costs and security bonds. How trucking coal to Port Alberni will affect highway safety. Trevor Inlet at Port Alberni will need to be dredged to alllow large coal carriers to dock. Pollution in Port Alberni – coal dust, diesel fuel &  exhaust emissions. How the volatile coal market might cause mine closure or layoffs. Effects of freak weather on mine pollution safeguards.
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Political landscape
What influence on the decision about Raven will be exerted by  the federal government and opposition political parties? In BC, the imminent election in May 2013 may be the pivot on which the decision swings; or it may not. There are two big If’s… /  more

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