Take Urgent Action to Help Stop Port Authority Expand Coal Export

Hello,

I’m writing to ask if you will take urgent action to help stop two coal export plans currently under consideration by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. If approved, Metro Vancouver would become the largest coal exporter in North America. Yearly, these exports would release more global warming pollution than all the oil flowing through the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.  Given the urgent need to reduce emissions to avoid runaway climate change, these reckless plans cannot move forward.  (Given the risks that toxic coal dust presents to our health, to farm land and to marine life, these plans should be stopped even without considering the threat they present to our climate.)

Who gets to decide if these plans are approved? Right now, not you or I — just a handful of staff at the Port Authority, behind closed doors. This is wrong.  A decision with such big implications for our future cannot be made without our input.

In the past week we have been able to bring these proposals to public attention, and Wednesday we released an open letter opposing coal port expansion to the Port Authority from the world’s leading climate scientists and activists.  The letter — signed by Bill McKibben, James Hansen, Naomi Klein and a host of other scientists, NGO’s, faith groups and concerned citizens — demands that any decision on expansion be delayed, that the public be thoroughly consulted on these proposals, and that any future decision explicitly consider the climate implications of these exports.

So far the Port Authority has not responded to any of our pressure, except to say that it doesn’t expect to engage the public further on the issue, and that a discussion of the climate impacts of coal exports “belongs elsewhere.”  That’s not good enough, especially considering the Port Authority’s mandate “to operate with broad public support in the best interests of Canadians.” If the Port Authority isn’t willing to do proper public consultation, we will.  Please click here to send the Port Authority a letter now, and CC us a copy. We’ll post them publicly to show the breadth and depth of opposition to these plans.

If we work quickly, flood them with letters, and make the whole process public and transparent, we can stop these new coal exports.  In just a few minutes you can make a difference.  Thank you for taking action for our future.

Kevin Washbrook,

for Voters Taking Action on Climate Change

Ps — we’re still working to update our database with postal codes.  If you want to receive emails about the next provincial election, specifically targeted to your riding, please send us a quick message today with your postal code.  If you have already, thanks!

website: http://vtacc.org/twitter:@ClimateVoters

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VotersTakingActionOnClimateChange

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