Editor:
Re: Clearing up coal issues, Jan. 28 letters.
I read with interest the letter from 85-year-old R. Morton in support of the transport of coal through our community.
I would like to congratulate him on his physical and mental health in spite of the seven years he spent working in a coal facility as a youth.
Nevertheless, his anecdotal evidence hardly adds to the discussion. My father smoked two packs of cigarettes for decades and never showed any signs of cancer during his lifetime, but I would be a fool to draw the conclusion that smoking is not a serious health issue.
As Wendy Wulff and Margie Ostroff note in their letters, we are talking about thermal coal from the U.S. being moved through the Lower Mainland en route to Asia. There will be no significant economic benefits to B.C., in much the same way there will be extremely limited benefits to B.C. and significant environmental risks from the Northern Gateway pipeline.
Why should we accept the transport of this coal through our region when the Americans themselves will not?
Why should we accept the transport of bitumen through our province when the benefits are so few and the risks are so high?
Bill Stewart, Surrey