ACTION ALERT: Reject the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) Expansion Project
Take action and urge the Canadian Government to reject the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) Expansion Project.
Currently, the Canadian federal government is seeing feedback on the proposed RBT2 expansion. According to federal reports, there will be significant environmental impacts on wild salmon populations and the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales that depend on these salmon, in addition to impacts on other wildlife such as birds. Despite these findings, the project has been approved and is now open for public comment.
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Suggested talking points:
The Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) are critically endangered and are already vulnerable to vessel noise. The expansion of the RBT2 will increase the amount of vessel traffic within the critical and protected habitat of the SRKWs, exposing them to more noise, which in turn will interfere with their ability to forage and find food.
The increase in vessel traffic will inevitably increase the risk of accidents such as oil or chemical spills in critical habitat.
The proposed project entails dredging and filling the Fraser River Estuary with cement to build an island to support the new container terminal. This is an ecologically significant habitat that supports multiple species including endangered species. Destroying this critical habitat would be both reckless and irresponsible.
The increase in air, noise, light, and water pollution will not only negatively impact the ecosystem, it will also pose threats on human health and local communities near the watershed.
The harm that will come to the ecosystem and the biodiversity within that ecosystem cannot be mitigated.
The project and increased shipping contributes to the ongoing threat of climate change which can and will have long-term effects on the ecosystem and communities that depend on these ecosystems