Shell Canada finally crosses border
July 2, 2008
Residents turn out to learn about refinery project
By James Kelley // Voice Reporter
For many, the visit from Shell Canada was way overdue.
State Representative Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, and Shell Canada officials
met with concerned citizens last Monday at the East China Township Offices
to provide information about a proposed oil refinery project along the St.
Clair River.
Shell Canada has been planning a project since 2006 to build a Tar Sands
Crude Oil Refinery along the St. Clair River. This is the first time Shell
Canada has come across the border to address concerns from Michigan
residents in comparison to more than 20 Shell-hosted meetings in Canada. The
refinery would be located south of St. Clair, directly across the river from
the St. John River District Hospital in East China.
Though the open house provided information on the project and an opportunity
to talk with Shell officials face to face, many of the approximately 150
residents in attendance were disappointed they couldn't voice their concerns
in public forum.
Shell Canada uses an open house format to get information out, but have
agreed to meet in a public forum about a month from now.
"Our goal was to open a dialogue today," Pavlov said. "We hope people got
some of their questions answered today, but we know they have a lot more.
That's why we will have another meeting where residents can voice specific
concerns."
Among those concerns are the additional air and water emissions along with
the possibility of spills, fires, refinery malfunction and explosions. The
refinery would also be built half a mile away from a Michigan hospital and
upstream from municipal drinking water intake systems for Michigan.
Canadian resident, Gayle Farr, lives right where the dock is proposed to be
built. In front of her house is the only public beach on the St. Clair River
parkway that is walk-in accessible. The "No Shell" sign in her front yard
says it all for her.
"It's the wrong place to build," Farr said. "Not only will it affect the
water and air quality, but it will damage the habitat. A lot of animals will
be displaced because of this project too. It's just not the place to build
it."
Farr is involved in organizing a non-Shell public meeting in Courtright,
Ontario 7:30 p.m. July 10 in the community center.
Yet, according to Shell Canada officials, there will be a number of
environmental and economical benefits from the project. The estimated $15
billion project will produce jobs and have some impact on air and water
quality such as the reduction in emissions contributing to acid rain and
soil acidification.
Heather Cooper, a public consultation coordinator for Shell Canada said
meetings like last Monday's are important as the company is making changes
to their project based on feedback from the people.
Cooper also acknowledged how the meeting is an opportunity to show Shell
Canada's commitment to new technology to make the refinery as safe and
environmentally sound as possible.
"We want to explain our plans of developing the refinery of the future,"
Cooper said. "We want to use new technology to make it more energy
efficient."
One way they plan on making it more energy efficient is installing an
effluent recovery unit. The unit recovers wastewater and recycles it in the
plant. It would be the first of its kind in North America, Cooper said.
The people the refinery could affect the most are those living on Walpole
Island. The island is located downriver from the projected refinery site and
could affect the water and land the Indians depend on.
Dr. Dean M. Jacobs, director of the Walpole Island Heritage Center, has been
involved in organizing studies on how the refinery may affect the island.
"When we were informed of the project in December of 2006, we started
putting together a team to review the project and look at how it impacts the
fishing and the land," Jacobs said. "We also need to look at the species at
risk too."
Jacobs said Shell Canada delayed the project a few months so the Walpole
Island team could finish its research. Now Shell Canada has agreed to delay
the project indefinitely.
"Their footprint is around 10,000 acres, including the destruction of a lot
of wooded area," Jacobs said. "We are a year and a half into this process
and this is the first meeting Shell has had in the United States. What's
wrong with this picture?"
The proposed refinery could produce 150,000 and 250,000 barrels per day of
light oil products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. This production
would improve the providence's security of supply making it less dependent
on foreign oil.
Terry Gill, a member of the St. Clair County Water Board, thinks the focus
of energy should go to alternative sources like wind rather than continuing
to focus on oil.
"I'm glad they decided to come to the United States and hear from the people
over here because we have to share the water," Gill said of Shell Canada.
"I'm worried that in a rush to solve the oil problems that we might create a
bigger problem. Why don't we focus more on alternative energy sources?"
Marine City resident John Bradley worked in Sarnia in the 1970s on refinery
projects. Bradley said he came to the meeting because he is familiar with
refineries and knows what they are capable of producing.
"Specific concerns should be addressed like the toxins these refineries
produce and how materials are discarded or controlled," Bradley said. "What
about explosions or accidents? These are the important things we need Shell
Canada to address."
Though there are still many obstacles, Shell Canada is expected to make a
decision on the refinery project sometime in 2009. For more information on
the project, visit www.shell.ca/sarniaproject.
Contact Jeri Packer at (586) 716-8100, ext. 302 or jeri.packer@voicenews.com
http://www.voicenews.com/stories/070208/loc_20080702001.shtml
