I am writing to let people know that we are currently fighting an underground coal mine which is planned for the 3,100 hectares above beautiful Baynes Sound on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
The company, Compliance Energy, has mineral tenure rights to over 70,000 acres of land on the east coast of Vancouver Island. They are currently going through one of the stages of getting a permit to mine for coal.
The chief concerns are for contamination of drinking water, acid mine drainage and the fact coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels.
There is a thriving shellfish industry only a few kilometres away from the mine site. Contamination of the shellfish would destroy a thriving and sustainable industry. Baynes Sound holds the second most Important Birding Area in British Columbia, next to the Fraser River Estuary.
There would be little government oversight of this mine once it got started.
Our goal is to get 5,000 submissions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. You can write a letter detailing your concerns to raven@ceaa-acee.gc.ca.
For more information on the proposed coal mines, please visit www.coalwatch.ca.
There is an easy link there for submitting comments. Thanks so much for helping us fight a project which if allowed to proceed, could cause devastating environmental impacts to Vancouver Island. Please spread the word.
Lynne Wheeler, Fanny Bay