RIVERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Fuel Spill Near the Iskut River Highlights Spill Risks to Pacific Salmon

Salmon and hydrocarbons don’t mix. That’s common sense, but with pipelines, mines, hydroelectric projects, new roads and increased industrial traffic proposed for northwest British Columbia, there’s a growing risk of industrial accidents and oil and gas spills in the region. A recent fuel spill near the Iskut River highlights that risk. The spill also reveals that both provincial and federal governments have gutted their environmental protection agencies, and are not adequately prepared to meet the growing threat to water quality and salmon habitat.

Confluence of the broad outwash plain of Hoodoo Creek and the Lower Iskut River looking downstream on the Iskut. Photo by Jim Bourquin

The spill occurred on November 16, 2011. There was no government or industry press release about the spill, and Rivers Without Borders only recently heard about it from people working in the region. Subsequent calls to government officials and other interested parties revealed more details.

Here’s what happened: a loaded fuel truck and trailer bound for AltaGas’ Forrest Kerr hydroelectric project, west of Bob Quinn, lost control on a steep hill and crashed against a rock wall at kilometer 12 on the Eskay Creek road, spilling 9,300 litres of winter diesel near the Iskut River. Chemicals such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene are hazardous components of diesel spills. Investigators at the scene believe the diesel drained into cracks in the rock, possibly straight into groundwater. No fuel has been recovered.

The spill is currently “under investigation”. In B.C., that’s not reassuring. Even though there are no immediate threats to human health, and hydrocarbons have not yet been detected in water, here are four things revealed by an investigation into the Forrest Kerr fuel spill, which should concern everyone in the region:

1)      The B.C. Government Doesn’t Have Your Back – Due to provincial government cutbacks, there’s only one Environmental Emergency Response Officer, based in Smithers, for the entire region of northwest BC. That means that from Atlin to Haida Gwaii to Burns Lake – an enormous area – one single person is tasked with responding to spills on behalf of the province. Given the amount of proposed new industrial projects in northwest BC, unless the province hired Superman, they didn’t hire enough people to do the job.

2)      The Federal Government Doesn’t Have Your Back – When it comes to spills of hazardous materials such as oil and gas, Environment Canada is responsible for handing out fines, prosecuting environmental violations, and enforcing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This is the same ministry that just cut 60 scientists from its staff. A Globe and Mail article pointed out that in a recent seven year stretch, across the entire country, Environment Canada nailed down only 32 convictions, less than five a year. Either Canada is a place where industrial accidents, and environmental violations, almost never happen, or the government is willfully blind and not interested in looking.

3)      In Northwest B.C., The Liability Is Likely To Fall On The Little Guy – Potential liability for a spill like the Forrest Kerr fuel spill falls on the company, in this case Northwest Fuels, that had “care and control” of the fuel at the time of the accident. That’s the ‘polluter pays’ principle, and it sounds good in theory. In practice, it means a local contractor, based in Terrace, is on the hook for hiring a private consulting company to do environmental monitoring, and for potential clean up and remediation costs. At the same time, the large Calgary based corporation, AltaGas, which contracted Northwest Fuels to do the job, bears no legal responsibility for the spill. Future accidents – and there will be future accidents – will likely have similar outcomes: the financial burden of a cleanup will fall on small business owners in northwest British Columbia, not on the corporations that will construct and operate the giant mines and hydroelectric projects.

4)      Wild Pacific Salmon Are In Danger – Mines, pipelines, and other industrial projects are planned for northwest BC, and the Forrest Kerr fuel spill is likely just the start of things to come. If these projects go ahead, watersheds with vast roadless areas, clean water, and pristine salmon habitat will be intercut with new roads and industrial infrastructure. For salmon, it’s the Death of a Thousand Cuts. The degradation of salmon habitat in rivers like the Unuk, Iskut, and Stikine will be inevitable, and the threat of water contamination from a fuel spill will always be there. Norm Fallows, the BC Environmental Emergency Response Officer based in Smithers, said that in northeast BC, which has been hammered by gas drilling activity, there’s “a spill every day,” and, “anything less than 5,000 litres is considered not worth checking out”. A similar situation may be coming to the northwest corner of the province, and that would be a real shame: salmon can’t handle swallowing a fuel spill a day.

Scientists Warn B.C. Mining Rush Would Harm Alaska and B.C. Salmon, Clean Water

For Immediate Release
15 November 2011

Contacts (bios below):
Jim Pojar, PhD – (250) 847-9429, jpojar@telus.net
Jack Stanford, PhD – (406) 982-3301, ext 236, jack.stanford@umontana.edu
Mike Fay, PhD – (907) 254-1902, mfay@uuplus.net
Tadzio Richards, Rivers Without Borders, (250) 842-8169, tadzio@riverswithoutborders.org
Chris Zimmer, Rivers Without Borders, (907) 586-2166, zimmer@riverswithoutborders.org

DOWNLOADABLE MAPS – Current Development within Northwest BC and Current and Proposed Development within Northwest BC

Northwest Transmission Line could spur multiple new mines, dams and coal-bed methane projects in pristine region known for world-class salmon, scenery and wildlife

Letter of concern about proposed development in the transboundary watersheds

Hazelton, British Columbia – In a letter to British Columbia Premier Christy Clark today, 36 scientists asked for her leadership to balance impending industrial development in northwest B.C. with the outstanding fish, wildlife and ecological values of this largely pristine region. Of particular concern are the impacts to clean water and salmon runs in B.C. and southeast Alaska. Spurred by BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), which has received environmental approvals, the rush is on to build mines, river-diversion hydroelectric dams and coal-bed methane energy projects that could radically transform the region.

“The consequences for salmon runs on both sides of the border could be devastating, yet Alaskans would see none of the economic benefit and have no seat at the table,” said Mike Fay PhD, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence who lives along the U.S. portion of the Unuk River just downstream of the B.C. border.

Among the well-documented impacts of mining is acid rock drainage, a chemical chain reaction created when discarded rock and tailings are exposed to air and water. The process can go on for decades at both operating and abandoned mines. Just one of the proposed mines, the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell mine in the Unuk River watershed, is expected to produce at least 2.1 billion tons of waste rock and tailings over its lifetime. The B.C. government has failed to stop 50 years of acid mine drainage from the idle Tulsequah Chief Mine into the Taku, southeast Alaska’s most productive salmon river.

“Northwest B.C. is home to pristine, free-flowing rivers that provide some of the last, best habitat for salmon in North America,” said Jack Stanford PhD, of the University of Montana. “Unfortunately, we don’t yet have the baseline scientific understanding needed to balance ecosystem health with impending industrial development.”

The lack of science is accompanied by a failure of the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office to ensure energy and mining companies follow through on environmental commitments. According to a recent report by the independent Auditor General of British Columbia, “adequate monitoring and enforcement of certified projects is not occurring and follow-up evaluations are not being conducted.”

Furthermore, the B.C. government currently does not have an adequate process in place to assess the cumulative impacts of the multiple industrial projects planned for the transboundary region.

“Without an assessment of the cumulative impacts of this wave of new mining and energy proposals, the British Columbia government could unwittingly sacrifice some of the best salmon and wildlife habitat left in North America,” said Jim Pojar PhD, who spent 25 years with the B.C. Forest Service and is a member of the Association of Professional Biology of B.C.

Map of current and proposed development within Northwest BC and Southeast Alaska

The southern part of the B.C.-Alaska transboundary region is home to species of concern such as grizzly bear and wolverine, as well as caribou, mountain goat, and Stone’s sheep. The largely pristine Stikine, Iskut and Unuk rivers are home to runs of all five species of Pacific salmon, which support subsistence fishing and commercial fishing jobs in both B.C. and Alaska.

The scientists’ letter reads: “The scale and intensity of proposed development certainly will fragment the watersheds with roads, transmission lines, river diversion projects, and open pit mines. Habitat for salmon and other wildlife will be destroyed at the development sites. Cumulative impacts likely will cascade throughout the watersheds in the form of altered flow and temperature patterns, disturbance to wildlife interacting with roads, and reduced water quality associated with sedimentation and acid mine drainage.”

Water quality, salmon habitat, and salmon populations on both sides of the border are at risk. Currently no organization or government has addressed the huge scope of ecological and social issues at stake. “Before further development is approved,” reads the scientist’s letter, “British Columbia must initiate a comprehensive assessment of potential cumulative impacts arising from the multiple development proposals in the watersheds.”

Nearly a dozen large mining projects are proposed for the transboundary watersheds in B.C., including the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell mine on a tributary of the Unuk River; Galore Creek and Shaft Creek mines on tributaries of the Stikine River; and the Red Chris mine at the headwater lakes of the Iskut River. A 195 megawatt river diversion hydroelectric project is under construction on the Iskut River, and numerous other hydroelectric projects are proposed for the region. In addition, Royal Dutch Shell has proposed to develop coal-bed methane at the headwaters of the Stikine River.

Dr. Jim Pojar has extensive professional experience in applied conservation biology, forest ecology, sustainable forest management, ecological land classification, and conservation, with a wealth of field experience throughout British Columbia. He is a leading expert in climate action planning in British Columbia. Dr. Pojar can be reached at: 250-847-9429, email: jpojar@telus.net

Dr. Mike Fay works as a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and is an Explorer in Residence for National Geographic. He is a renowned conservationist who has brought international attention to pristine and threatened landscapes in Gabon, Congo, and the Pacific Coast of North America. A resident of the Unuk River in Alaska, he lives directly downstream from planned development in British Columbia. Dr. Fay can be reached at: 907-254-1902, email: mfay@uuplus.net. His website documenting development in the region is: www.unukriverpost.org

Dr. Jack A. Stanford is the Jessie M. Bierman Professor of Ecology and Director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station at The University of Montana. He has conducted research and education in systems ecology for 35 years with focus on rivers and fisheries including pristine Pacific salmon river ecosystems around the Pacific Rim. Dr. Stanford can be reached at: Jack.stanford@umontana.edu

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Wild Pacific salmon don’t need another threat

“Pacific salmon just don’t need another threat.” So stated James Winton, a fish virologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He was quoted in a Seattle Times article (10/19/11) covering news of two wild sockeye salmon smolts in British Columbia waters recently found by researchers to be carrying a highly contagious virus. The virus killed millions of farmed salmon in Chile, and it may be connected to Atlantic salmon grown in BC fish farms. It’s not known yet if it poses a threat to wild Pacific salmon, but that concern is very high. U.S. Senators have already called for an immediate investigation.

Rivers Without Borders shares the concern. Winton’s statement hits the nail on the head relative to what our organization is about. Wild salmon need wild rivers. That’s why we advocate safeguarding wild salmon habitat by keeping it intact and productive. And some of the best salmon habitat in the world is embodied in the transboundary watersheds of northwest BC and southeast Alaska.

Unfortunately, another “threat” to salmon in this region is looming ever larger. Rivers Without Borders has been challenging proposed mining on the Taku, near the Alaska – BC border, for years. Now the threat of development has spread to the transboundary Stikine, Iskut, and Unuk watersheds. Four huge open pit mines are proposed on the Canadian side of the border, along with associated roads and infrastructure, and more mines are under serious consideration. All the development and contaminated water that could come with it would be upstream of prime salmon habitat. And what may be North America’s largest run-of-river hydroelectric power complex is slated for the Iskut. Two factors are behind this impending development boom. One is sky high metals prices. The other is BC government’s decision to build a transmission line bringing subsidized industrial power into the southern transboundary region.

For our part, we will raise awareness of what could be lost, push government to consider cumulative impacts of the development it is championing, and demand an international conversation about the future of transboundary watersheds, especially relative to wild salmon.

Because one thing is certain. Wild salmon just don’t need another threat.

Controversy Grows As Northwest Transmission Line Lengthens

The Northwest Transmission Line continues to generate controversy. Christopher Pollon has written an excellent article in the Tyee which highlights some of this controversy.

As part of paying for the estimated $404 million cost of the NTL in BC, the Canadian federal government will contribute $130 million of taxpayers’ money out of its Green Infrastructure Fund. In return, BC is committed to extending the NTL past its current end point of Bob Quinn Lake up to Iskut, a remote village currently powered by diesel generated electricity.

As you’d expect, the Green Infrastructure Fund is supposed to “improve the quality of the environment” and “contribute to improved air quality and lower carbon emissions.” But the NTL, along with this extension, is really about powering mine development in northwest BC. A 2008 Pembina Institute memo predicts that if the mines currently proposed to connect to the NTL are developed, they will generate “greenhouse gas pollution” trucking ore to ports and shipping it to Asian smelters at a level more than 300 times the amount saved by providing grid power to Iskut.

BC Hydro map of planned NTL line shows it ending at Bob Quinn, but an agreement between BC and the federal government requires an extension to Iskut. (Click for larger image.)

In addition, the $130 million is being used to pay for a piece of the current NTL. But who will pay for  the required extension? There isn’t a design, a cost estimate, a time frame or an environmental assessment for the extension even though it is part of the BC-Canadian NTL agreement announced in 2009.

The mines will buy “green” power from BC Hydro which will supply hydroelectricity from the AltaGas run-of-river complex along the Iskut river. But BC Hydro has agreed to buy that power from AltaGas for 60 years at prices significantly higher than the expected rates that the mining companies will pay, driving up electricity rates for the rest of BC Hydro’s customers to cover the loss.

There are significant questions that need to be asked about the NTL and its required extension. Otherwise, BC Hydro ratepayers and Canadian taxpayers may find they have a huge bill facing them.

Click here for more information about the Northwest Transmission Line project.

An Ecosystem in Turmoil Puts Its Predators at Risk

This article by Mark Hume at the Globe and Mail is part of an ongoing series of stories on the intricate relationships of salmon, bears, and entire ecosystems. In this piece, Hume discusses "salmon forests" and the critical and intricate connection of each piece of an ecosystem to the others, in particular bears and salmon.

 Read the story.

Salmon, A Keystone Species

This Globe and Mail article by Mark Hume discusses a report out of Washington State that studied the relationship of salmon to the surrounding ecosystems and found nine species "so dependent on salmon their “distribution, viability, abundance and/or population status” was decided by the availability of the fish."

Read the full news story here. 

Read the report here. 

Shannon McPhail: Volunteer Executive Director, Leader

I recently had the opportunity to spend a little time at Hollyhock Institute on Cortes Island, BC.  Hollyhock offered a week-long course called the Canadian Environmental Leadership Program, and 30 conservationists/lawyers/ environmentalists/social justice advocates were in attendance, including Shannon McPhail, executive director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition (SWCC).  I asked Shannon to elaborate upon a question that participants were invited to respond to at the introduction of the program, and the question was: "why do you do the work that you do?"  Her feedback makes Rivers Without Borders hope it will be able to partner more closely with Shannon and SWCC in the future.

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‘Klabona’ on CTV

This Saturday, November 24th at 5 pm (PST), tune in to CTV’s First Story. This week’s feature is called "Klabona."  Klabona is the area otherwise known as the Sacred Headwaters, situated in the heart of Tahltan territory, about 500 km north of Smithers, BC. 

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Shell Games

If you haven’t heard of the Sacred Headwaters yet, you soon will. The media has been abuzz of late about Royal Dutch Shell’s attempts to brush aside local Tahltan First Nation opposition there and crank up exploration for coal-bed methane. The Sacred Headwaters is the shared birthplace of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers: three of North America’s most important wild salmon rivers.

Shell may not know who they are messing with in trying to run roughshod over the interests of Tahltan people. Robert Campbell, an early explorer of the Stikine River for the Hudson’s Bay Company was astonished at his indelicate treatment by the people he called the Nahanni when he tried to establish a fort in the Stikine in 1839: "They … demanded payment for inhabiting their country, and if we did not trade like the Russian traders, to clear out." Campbell did clear out, and the resolve of the Tahltan people to be the masters of their own Territory seems as robust as ever. 

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Sacred Headwaters Gathering 2007

Hey there… Andre here, new guy with Rivers Without Borders – Whitehorse office.

From July 13-15th I headed down to the Stikine River watershed in north-western BC to attend The Sacred Headwaters gathering in Iskut, BC. The central message of the weekend was clear: Stomp Out Shell! 

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