Heather Thomson, Alberni Valley Times, April 28, 2011

Members of Port Alberni's city council had an opportunity to get a taste of what the Raven Coal project will be like last week.

"They showed us their plans, and answered a lot of our questions," Mayor Ken McRae said.

The topic came up in council on Monday night in response to concerns from the public about council's stand on the proposed coal port in Port Alberni.

McRae said it was a good opportunity to get a taste of what they have planned and see a similar operation in action.

McRae said they were shown trucks similar to the ones that would haul coal to Port Alberni, if the port went ahead.

"I've never seen a chip B-train that big coming here," he said, adding that the trucks running between Port Alberni and the Raven mine would be covered to minimize the dust problem.

He said their other concern that was addressed was water.

He said the mine will be 400 metres underground, and the Raven representative reassure them that it would affect the water in the area. He added that they pointed out that the water supply is only 40 m below the surface in that area.

He said the Raven representatives also showed a lot of interest in using the rail system to haul coal, instead of the highways already in place. They also discussed the option of putting in an alternative route, to keep the truck off the main highway system.

But despite the fact that the mayor was pleased to have some of his questions answered, he is still not ready to make a decision on the future of the proposed port in the Alberni Valley.

"They told us there should be a full report by this time next year, and I will wait to make up my decision when I see that," he said.

Coun. Kenn Whiteman also said he was impressed by the presentation and tour. He said it surprised him to hear that there is a rich history in coal mining in that area, dating back to the 1940s.

He said the fact that it would take 5,000 years for the water in that area to reach the ocean also surprised him.

Coun. Cindy Solda pointed out that Raven has already spent $21 million on this proposal, and they clearly want to see it move forward. But she stressed the fact that she still isn't willing to make any decision until she see the results of the environmental review process.

But she said it was an eye-opening tour. She was impressed by the fact that it would create more than 260 direct, high-paying jobs. She was also shocked by how little dust is created, pointing out that the only dust they saw was as a result of the truck traffic and the dust they stirred up with the tires.

HThomson@avtimes.net

© Alberni Valley Times 2011

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