Barge fuel spill leads to many questions

While the coast guard went about wrapping up its work on the barge Swiftsure Prince which spilled its load of diesel fuel into Pillsbury Cove, the politicians began to ask a few questions of government about the preparations of the provincial government governing just such an incident as this one.

Gary Coons, the MLA for the North Coast expressed his frustrations regarding the Pillsbury Cove spill and recounted his past efforts for more accountability from the government.

The story was featured as the Daily News front page story in Thursday’s paper.

SPILLED FUEL CLEAN-UP UNDER CONTROL SAYS COAST GUARD
But North Coast MLA asking tough questions about barge’s grounding
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pages one and two

The log barge that remains grounded in Pillsbury Cove no longer contains diesel fuel and the fuel that spilled has nearly all evaporated, the Canadian Coast Guard reported yesterday.

“All the logs have been unloaded from the barge and towed away, the vessel itself has been surrounded by booms, so it’s all closed off, and initial reports indicate no residual product left on beaches nearby,” said Dan Bate, communications officer with the Coast Guard. “And I would assume very minimal sheening, if any, left in the area.

“In terms of the type of fuel, it’s a non-persistent fuel. If it were a heavier crude oil, it would have a much greater impact, but as diesel fuel, it’s a less persistent product.”
But North Coast MLA Gerry Coons expressed frustration at news of the log barge having spilled diesel fuel in Prince Rupert harbour, potentially contaminating food harvesting sites used by the people of Metlakatla.

“Last year, I asked the Environment Minister Barry Penner to provide evidence that his ministry was doing due diligence to protect the North Coast from precisely this kind of disaster,” said Coons.

“The only response I received was a passing of the buck to the Coast Guard and federal government. The minister acted quickly toe ensure that Robson Bight was safe after the disaster there, (and) I see no difference with those on the North Coast, whether Hartley Bay or Metlakatla, who depend on this minister’s concern and immediate action,”

On Monday night, a loaded log barge under tow from Masset was deliberately run aground in Pillsbury Cove after the load shifted and became unsafe – spilling diesel fuel and creating a non-recoverable sheen in Prince Rupert harbour. Coons is worried that food harvesting concerns from Metlakatla will be treated with the same “indifference” that was experienced in Hartley Bay, which has been struggling with continual contamination of food harvesting sites since the Queen of the North sank in 2005.

“The bottom line is, I want to know why there was no strategy in place to avoid this mess, and if there was, why didn’t it work or why it wasn’t followed,” said Coons.

“I also want to hear a commitment on the part of the Environment Ministry to do absolutely everything they can to remediate these food gathering sites immediately, not years down the road,” said Coons.

The MLA has been at the forefront of opposition to any push to end the moratorium on oil tanker traffic off the North Coast, the primary reason being that he has not seen evidence that the government has the will or capability to protect the North Coast from devastating spills, he said.

“If the Ministry of the Environment doesn’t have the will or capability to protect our coastline from spills generated by regular shipping traffic, it seems highly unlikely that they are prepared to deal with the consequences of oil tankers,” said Coons.

“The Liberal government continually demonstrates that they do not place a high enough priority on protecting our coastline, food harvesting sites, and the livelihoods of those who rely on a healthy ocean.”

As of yesterday at 2 p. m. the barge owner was working with Transport Canada to salvage the vessel, the plan being to pump air into the hull of the barge and raise it. The protective booms will remain around the perimeter of the vessel, but according to Coast Guard all indications show there’s no diesel fuel left on board. However, it has yet to be determined how much fuel leaked in total, and how much of that total amount ended up in the Prince Rupert harbour.