Measuring emotions against well-researched science
Will community stand by in silence and let Kameron Coal go down the same road as ECBC or the Energy East Pipeline?
It was disappointing to read comments in a recent Cape Breton Post article (“Glace Bay fishermen worried about seismic testing in ocean near Donkin Mine,” Nov. 14).
It appears that emotions from some fishermen and a representative of a fish processor have overshadowed the well-researched science presented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada at a public meeting to explain the minimal impact of seismic testing on commercial fishing stocks near the Donkin coal reserve.
Kameron Coal is changing its mine operating plan to improve productivity and costs to secure a long-term future for the reserve. Verification of the coal reserve size and exact location under the ocean floor is required to accurately facilitate this process.
Usually the size of a landbased underground coal reserve is verified by drilling 100 or more test holes to determine the reach and thickness of the reserve.
Because the Donkin reserve is under the ocean floor only 11 test holes were drilled in the late 1970s to verify the resource – each sterilizing hundreds of meters of nearby coal in proximity to the test hole for safety reasons.
So you can understand why drilling more test holes is not the answer to verifying the size and location of this under water reserve and seismic (sound waves) testing is the best and safest approach.
I clearly remember in December 2014 when the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) community was jumping with jubilation when it was announced a new owner would be opening the Donkin coal mine with intention of employing a 100 plus skilled workforce. It was tremendously good news for a region suffering from high unemployment (16 per cent) and a steady population decline due to outmigration and mortality.
It also avoided a lost opportunity to mine the last remaining large block of Cape Breton coal for the
economic well being of the region.
While coal consumption in North America is on the decline for electric power consumption, most of the Donkin reserve (70 per cent) is earmarked for the export steel market where it will be converted to coke for primary steel making. This was good news for all involved and the new mine owner was committed to investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the local economy in the form of wages, capital investments, and ongoing operating costs over the 30-year life of the project.
After more than a decade Cape Breton was finally returning to its roots as an export community for its raw materials bringing in badly needed new export dollars to our area. We were taking an important page out of the Ivany report that focuses on growing the Nova Scotia export market as a road to economic prosperity.
Since that day it appears at most every turn interest groups are poised to jump on Kameron Coal to criticize and I rarely hear any vocal support for the project coming from the local community.
First the environmentalists had their say about dirty coal and then unions complained about mine safety to show their distaste for the mine being a non-union operation. Then objections to chosen coal transportation routes from the mine to markets surfaced on the front page of our local paper followed by objections to who is being hired at the mine or not and now who is being laid off.
And then we have denial of
the well-researched science provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada around the impacts of seismic testing on commercial fish habitant near the coal reserve. Silence resonates in our community when it comes to support for the project.
Not too long ago some in our community bitterly complained about a federally funded Ben Eoin marina project and the then unpopular CEO of the Federal Crown Corporation ECBC who spearheaded this questionable initiative.
ECBC was a highly valued organization in the Cape Breton community with a laser focus on economic development initiatives for Cape Breton and Mulgrave.
Instead of simply having the widely unpopular CEO removed, our local interest groups not only accomplished that goal but also unintentionally managed to have the federal government kill off ECBC at the same time creating a major economic development vacuum in our region.
Is our community willing to stand by in silence again and let Kameron Coal go down the same road as ECBC or the Energy East Pipeline? It’s a cold feeling when a business owner invests hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money in our community and there is no one in sight when they look over their shoulder for support. Where is our appreciation for the mine owners and their employees?
“It appears at most every turn interest groups are poised to jump on Kameron Coal to criticize.”