[Fwd: Transport of Gypsum from Medford, Cape Breton Mine]

Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 22:33:01 -0700
From: John/Karen Pearce <jk.pearce@ns.sympatico.ca>
Organization: LLLC/T2000ATL
To: sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 22:26:34 -0700
From: John/Karen Pearce <jk.pearce@ns.sympatico.ca>
Organization: LLLC/T2000ATL
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Subject: Transport of Gypsum from Medford, Cape Breton Mine
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April 10, 1999
Dear Editor:

I am forwarding this letter, similar to many already sent to provincial 
officials, in response to today's editorial "Georgia Pacific (gypsum) 
Mine Deserves Green Light". In the view of Transport 2000 Atlantic, the 
environmental side-effects of transportation of the gypsum are by far the 
most significant issue but have been virtually ignored.                 

Transport 2000 Atlantic protests the lack of any apparent provincial 
assessment of transportation alternatives for shipment of gypsum from the 
Medford gypsum mine in Cape Breton.  This flawed environmental assessment 
is an economic, social, and environmental disaster for the people of the 
area and for much of the province and urgently needs rethinking. 

500 100,000 pound gypsum trucks leaving the mine every day means one 
every 3 minutes each way on the busy two-lane Trans-Canada highway. This 
road is NOT controlled access but has many local road crossings at grade 
and even more private driveways (similar to the old Wentworth Valley 
highway). The topography is hilly, so that the loaded westbound trucks 
will be slowed on hills, holding up other traffic and likely causing 
serious accidents for impatient individuals who try to pass. 

Each of these trucks does damage to the highway equal to 10,000 to 20,000 
automobiles!  The cost to repair the highway over the 20-year life of the 
mine is difficult to forecast, but it could reach a hundred million 
dollars.  The cost of upgrading to a controlled access four lane road, 
including the congested stretch from Port Hastings to Point Tupper would 
likely be $250 to $500 million.  This would, of course, come from 
taxpayers.

In addition to the economic cost, there is the social cost of the 
inevitable increase in death and injury on the highway, disincentives to 
tourist travel, and the dust and noise for everyone along the 40 mile 
route from a truck passing every 1 ½ minutes. As a comparison, may we 
note that 2 trains carry a total of 150 loaded railcars of gypsum from 
Milford, Hants Co., to Wright's Cove in Dartmouth each day. This is the 
equivalent of 500 trucks each way using Highway 102 and local roads in 
Milford and through Burnside Park or Magazine Hill in Dartmouth. The rail 
alternative from Milford, and between Windsor and Hantsport in the 
Annapolis Valley has long been the best choice, as it is in Cape Breton 
as well.

We strongly recommend that a 5-mile spur rail line be built from the Cape 
Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway line near River Denys to the mine 
site.  The cost of such a line, including an overpass across the 
Trans-Canada highway should not exceed $6 to 8 million, only a small 
fraction of road costs. We also suggest that the Province of Nova Scotia 
should finance this spur and lease it to the CB&CNS for the 20-year life 
of the mine. Any losses to the province in this arrangement would be very 
small compared to the cost of maintaining the Trans-Canada highway plus 
opportunity costs resulting from injury and death in gypsum truck 
accidents.

>From the environmental side, rail transport of bulk material such as 
gypsum is 6 to 8 times more energy efficient than rubber-tired truck on 
heavier grades. It thus produces much less greenhouse gas and other 
pollutants.  There would be only 2 or 3 trains per day compared to 500 
trucks, and they would be on a private right-of-way. The extra gypsum 
rail traffic would help to ensure quality rail service for other Cape 
Breton industries which might otherwise be in jeopardy due to declining 
coal shipments. 

Transport 2000 Atlantic hopes very much that environmental officials will 
be able to act quickly in this matter and bring it up at the current 
session of the Nova Scotia Legislature.  You will note from some recent 
news clippings that the media also senses a serious policy error in this 
matter.

Yours truly,


John Pearce, President,
Transport 2000 Atlantic.   
Phone 469-3474
e-mail   jk.pearce@ns.sympatico.ca



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