Delores Broten, February 28, 2010

Went to the Under One Roof fund-raising dance last night – turn out was a bit lower than hoped for, due apparently to a competing rave somewhere up north. However, the performers were absolutely great – cameron gun sutherland (I think?) wrote a wonderful song for coalwatch called When the Roof Comes Down, and some of the hip hop was outrageously funny and very good. It was a wonderful tribal event.

Joshua Frank, t r u t h o u t . o r g, Saturday 27 February 2010

If you've tuned in to the Winter Olympics this past week, you likely sat through repeated showings of a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign paid for by Big Coal regarding the potential laurels of "clean-coal" technology. The premise of the 30-second spot is simple: Coal can be clean and America needs to wean itself off of foreign crude and create jobs back home by tapping our nation's vast coal reserves.

Sometimes it feels as if we are moving backwards. For some of us, the latest burning issue in the Comox Valley is the possible commencement of a coal mine in the Fanny Bay area. Not only do these issues separate communities, but locally, both sides of the issue stand to lose more than they can gain.

For the average islander the biggest, and likely the only positive aspect of such an undertaking is about job creation.

With a struggling economy and such huge job loss experienced on Vancouver Island over the years, this method is at the top of the list for selling anything these days. I encourage all of us to think clearly about this issue.

By Rick Bass, Sierra Club Newsletter, Mar-Apr 2010

Montanans fear coal's residues more than its role in disrupting Earth's climate

I begin my journey into Montana's coal hell at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. I'm on my way to eastern Montana's enormous coal-fired power plant at Colstrip, the second largest west of the Mississippi.

News Release, CoalWatch Comox Valley, February 15, 2010

The risk to salmon habitat, water quality and hundreds of shellfish jobs were among the chief concerns expressed in Courtenay Thursday night at a packed public meeting about the controversial plan for a new coal mine in Comox Valley.

Community concern about the Raven coal mine project filled the room at the Filberg Centre in Courtenay on Thursday evening. The event was sponsored by CoalWatch Comox Valley.

Philip Merrick, Parksville/Qualicum Beach The News, February 12, 2010

I am writing regarding the proposed Raven Coal Project near Buckley Bay.  I would like to let your readers know that the proponent of the project, Compliance Energy, and their Asian partners have more underground rights than just the area near Buckley Bay.  

They hold extensive rights going up the east coast of the Island towards Campbell River.  They have underground rights in Area H near Qualicum Beach as well.

Ross Walton, Oceanside Star, Thursday, February 11, 2010

Further to Max Kellermann's excellent letter outlining the health hazards of trucking coal from Fanny Bay to Port Alberni, I want to point out that when Raven Coal Company first announced the proposed coal mine at a public meeting, CEO John Tapics stated there would be either 100 42-ton truckloads of coal per day, one long train load, or two short ones. At an RDN meeting last month, Tapics revealed that trucking was preferred and there would be three truck loads per hour on the highways. We would then have to assume that would mean 72 42-ton truckloads per day and, as one of the RDN directors pointed out to Tapics, the truck traffic would be double that number because these trucks would have to return.

Max Kellerman, Oceanside Star, Thursday, February 04, 2010

Coal dust causes lung disease known as pneumoconiosis, which includes black lung disease, which usually occurs among coal miners. Environmental legislation regulates workplace air quality, but only in some jurisdictions.

The Denman Island Local Trust Committee, chaired by Peter Luckham, wrote on December 22, 2009 to Premier Campbell and Ministry of Environment Minister Barry Penner with respect to the inappropriateness of permitting a new coal mine in BC when local governments are being charged with reducing carbon emissions.

22 Dec 2009
Denman Island LTC Letter to Premier Campbell
Denman Island LTC Letter to Minister Penner
Islands Trust Letter to Candy-Lee Chikite of Raven Project

11 Jan 2010
Letter from Premier Campbell to Denman Island LTC

By Fred Davies, Parksville Qualicum Beach News, January 28, 2010

A representative for a proposed underground coal mine, six kilometres west of Buckley Bay ferry terminal, received a rough ride from Regional District of Nanaimo board members Tuesday.

Media Release, CoalWatch Comox Valley, Jan. 21, 2010

The controversial proposal for a large underground coal mine in the Comox Valley drew another standing room only crowd to the Fanny Bay Hall on Monday night, as almost 200 people attended a film about the impact of coalmining on communities.

Media Release, CoalWatch Comox Valley, Jan. 18, 2010

“This raises serious concerns about the coalmine planned for Fanny Bay,” says CoalWatch

News of two recent effluent spills into the Campbell River Watershed is ringing alarms bells for residents of Baynes Sound, where there are plans for a large underground coal mine.

Dan MacLennan, Courier-Islander, Friday, January 15, 2010

Heavy rains and snow melt appear to have caused two effluent spills from a Myra Falls mine tailings pond into Buttle Lake Monday.

But neither mine owner Breakwater Resources nor the Environment Ministry could say what volume of effluent might have spilled into the lake which supplies drinking water to Campbell River.

Ray Grigg, Shades of Green, December 4, 2009

The Raven Underground Coal Project, a joint venture between Compliance Coal Corporation and its Japanese and Korean partners, could extract up to 100 million tonnes of metallurgical coal in the Tsable River watershed near Fanny Bay. This is cold comfort for the environment.

Dear John Tapics, President, Compliance Energy Corp:

Compliance Coal has asked the community to submit questions that need to be covered in your environmental Assessment. We have decided that we should inform you that the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition feels strongly that there is insufficient information to proceed with an environmental assessment at all now.

ATV News, 15-Nov-2009

FANNY BAY - A new environmental group began forming in the Comox Valley this week, coming together to collect questions and research answers surrounding a proposed coal mine site.

By Colleen Dane, Comox Valley Record, November 27, 2009

More than 200 people attended a meeting Tuesday to discuss proposed coal mining near Fanny Bay. (Photo Submitted)

CoalWatch News, 25 November 2009

The community meeting in the Fanny Bay Community Hall on Tuesday night was an outstanding, standing room only event. Latecomers were turned away so as not to contravene fire regulations.

An overview of the proposed Raven Coal Mine project, and of the environmental process was given by Arthur Caldicott. Caila Holbrook reviewed two detailed maps which overlayed aquatic and other important features, on the proposed mining area. David Stapley ably facilitated the meeting.

By Marcel Tetrault, Comox Valley Echo, November 17, 2009

Non-profit group has already saved rare bird habitats

From the Filberg Marsh near Merville all the way south to Rosewall and Coal creeks in Fanny Bay, the Nature Trust of B.C. has helped to protect more than 300 hectares of land in the Comox Valley over the last 35 years.

On November 11, Compliance Coal Corporation invited the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition (CVWWC) to join a Community Advisory Group (CAG) it was setting up as part of the company's preliminary work in preparing an application for the BC environmental assessment process.

The purpose of the CAG, and some of the conditions the company expects to impose on the CAG's members, are unacceptable to the CVWWC.

Parksville Qualicum Beach News, November 5, 2009

Dan Berkshire, project manager, showing the property before heading out on a tour of the site.

COMOX — Thousands of hectares of land at the south end of the Comox Valley are covering a rare find — and Compliance Energy wants to unearth it.

Compliance (which, with partners Itochu Corporation and LG International make up Comox Joint Venture) went to the public last week to introduce the proposed Raven Underground Coal Project.

The Comox Valley Record printed a news article on October 29 entitled "Consortium wants to extract coal from Valley".

The Record chose NOT to print some of the letters written by local residents critical of the article's uncritical coverage of the proposed mine, and its promotional tone.

By Marcel Tetrault, Times Colonist, November 3, 2009

Proposed mine near Fanny Bay could provide jobs for 20 to 25 years