Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The second meeting of the Southwest NB CL Committee was held at Smith’s Motel, Highway 1, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Present for the meeting were:
- Kathryn Foster
- Peter Fenety
- David Armstrong
- Burton Stewart
- Lyman Spear
- Peggy Thompson
- John Kellock, ROW Supervisor
- Mike McIntyre, Manager for Brunswick Pipeline
- Susan Harris, Co-Chair for Brunswick Pipeline
- David Peterson, NB Environment and project Compliance Officer
Regrets were received from Roger Burton; absent from meeting were: Lee Sochasky, Andrew Sanojca, Arthur MacKay.
1. Introductions and review of Agenda.
The agenda was accepted as presented.
2. Review of Minutes from October 2, 2007 meeting.
The minutes were accepted without changes.
3. Selection of a Facilitator
The Committee decided to have two Co-Chairs facilitate the meetings instead of one Facilitator. The Committee was advised that the option to have a Facilitator is still on the table if needed in the future.
4. Selection of Co-Chair
A nomination was put forth by Kathryn Foster to elect Peter Fenety as Co-Chair for the Committee. Peter accepted the nomination and the role.
5. Update/Overview of what is taking place so far with the Brunswick Pipeline Project
Mike MacIntyre, General Manager of Brunswick Pipeline, gave an update and overview of what has taken place so far with respect to the project. He indicated the pipeline route is being cleared, starting in the St. Stephen area and working toward Saint John. Requests to proceed in Rockwood Park have been approved as of Friday, November 30, 2007. The Brunswick Pipeline team is awaiting documentation from the City of Saint John in order to access a road through the western end of the park. Once documentation is received, rock drilling and testing will take place and trenching should begin after the Christmas break. This phase of the project should be completed by February or March, with clean up to take place in the spring.
The steel for the pipeline will be on its way from Panama City, Florida to Saint John starting in later January 2008, with the last load of pipe expected to arrive on February 21, 2008. The Committee was informed that the steel is 97.5% made of recycled materials making it environmentally friendly.
After receiving community concerns, Brunswick Pipeline will be drilling in the Saint John River during day light hours only. Drilling will begin after the Christmas holiday. The pilot hold drill could last 7 weeks.
The pipeline route will continue to be cleared. There is 115 kms of right of way with approximately 115 stream crossings, almost 1 per kilometre. Stream crossings for the pipeline will take place between May 2008 and September 2008.
We expect that there will be 500 crew people working on the pipeline and 100-200 related, non- construction jobs in the Spring 2008. By summer 2008, it is estimated that there will be 700-800 employees and crew working on the pipeline. Around October 15, 2008, testing of the pipeline using water will take place. Sections will be filled with water then into the entire pipeline. It will then be cleaned out and charged with gas. By November 1, 2008, Canaport will be ready with gas shipped from Korea in mid October/first of November. The gas will then be tested, cooled then stored in tanks which will contain 10 billion cubic feet of gas.
Mike informed the Committee that emergency measures are being organized including 2 ambulances with crews and a helicopter for immediate response and first aid and medivac in the field in case of emergencies on the pipeline sites.
Questions were asked by Committee members in regards to the ships transporting the steel pipe. Mike gave a brief explanation saying that the ships will meet standard regulations. These ships are not solely dedicated to Saint John, and can be diverted to other ports if needed. If an accident occurs and LNG is spilled and starts to burn, the gas will burn in itself. It will expand over the water like all gases, however, it will form into a kind of enclosed space and burn itself until it eventually dissepates. This explanation was followed by suggestions to have representatives from Repsol make a presentation to the Committee to further demonstrate the operations of their company and to set up a tour of the Canaport LNG site in Spring 2008.
6. Presentations:
1. John Kellock, ROW Supervisor for Brunswicfk Pipeline, made a presentation regarding Landowner Relations and Letter of Committment documents. The Letter of Commitment has a long history, dating back to 1957 when the Trans Canada pipeline stopped short of the Atlantic Provinces. The Letter of Commitment documents also keep record of what has worked in the past and what hasn’t when it comes to contacting landowners. Keeping the lines of communication open with the public, especially those who will have the pipeline in their backyards is extremily important.
2. Chris Blair of Jacques Whitford, made a presentation on Environmental Impacts, watercourses and animal species. Chris gave an overview of how Jacques Whitford became involved with the pipeline, including their analysis of the project from an environmental assessment aspect and determining the effects on the environment that the pipeline may cause. Jacques works with Brunswick Pipeline to ensure that there are as few environmental effects as possible when determining the pipeline routes and corridors. These effects include any disturbances to rare plants, animals and the possiby of heritage archaeological sites. Other possible constraints could also be found along the route. Class I constraints include, but are not limited to, schools, cemeteries, waterways, sewage pipes and fiber optic cables. Class 2 constraints include but are not limited to wetlands, homes, etc. A balance in avoiding constraints but minimizing costs is necessary.
An Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) for the project was also required. This document combines the above information with actions Brunswick pipeline has committed to take in protecting the environment. Project Inspectors will make assessments and construction employees will go through environmental training in order to know and understand why certain tasks will be performed in specific ways. The EPP is lengthy and detailed, yet user friendly document. It is a “living” document that changes and is updated frequently. Inspectors and employees need to have in-depth knowledge of this document to know how to fix potential problems before they occur.
7. Next phase update: An overview was given for the next phase of the project within the next 12 months. The pipeline is expected to employ 750-1000 workers directly or indirectly in the next year. This will be a significant impact to the economy. Small company participation is expected, including restaurants/hospitality establisments, local hardware companies, local companies making machinery and equipment, etc. The project is expected to start slowly, grow and speed up in the spring, and then slow down toward November 2008.
8. Other Items:
1. Requested documents from the last meeting were distributed.
2. Members attending the December 5, 2007 meeting were asked which sections/parts of the Environmental Protection Plan they would have like to have and their specified requests have been documented by the secretary and forwarded to Susan Harris.
9. Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 6, 2008, 6 p.m., Smith’s Hotel & Restaurant, Highway 1.
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