— by Joel Connelly, Seattle P-I —
Canada is not ready to respond to an oil tanker spill — large or small — in the Strait of Juan de Fuca or inland waters shared by Washington’s San Juan Islands and British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, according to a panel appointed by pro-oil Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Canadian waters “with the highest probability of a large spill occurring” are at the southern tip of Vancouver Island as well as the Cabot Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Eastern Canada, the panel concluded. And places with the “highest potential” for smaller spills include the southern coast of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island.
The panel’s report comes as Harper’s government is eager to give a green light to two huge pipeline projects that would see up to 650 tankers plying the British Columbia coastline.
(To read the full article, go to seattlepi.com/2013/12/03/canada-unprepared-for-oil-spill-in-strait-of-juan-de-fuca/ )
So… just exactly what is the probability of a large oil spill occurring in the San Juan Islands? Am I more likely to win the lottery. Are the odds higher than a commercial airline hitting my home?
I have heard lots of scary rhetoric. Can anyone point us to some real data?
What do probability stats matter when the idea is to be prepared with measures in place in advance of an event rather than the current way which is, “oh darn, why didn’t we prepare before this happened?” It’s not encouraging disaster before hand but having recovery/clean up details in hand should any event occur. Be prepared! Didn’t we all learn something like that as sprouts in scouting groups way back when? Being ready, whatever the need is just good planning, good care-taking of community and region and natural resources. We as human beings are the Earths caretakers and need to be responsible for that duty. Who else but us?
Heck – what is the likelihood that the one CenturyLink cable serving the islands would break either? I’m with Judy – better safe than sorry. Because, unlike a minor week of fear and inconvenience, we would be very “sorry” indeed.
Fortunately, San Juan County Washington has IOSA.
Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA) is volunteer powered organization that maintains a 24/7/365 readiness to respond to oil spills in San Juan County with equipment and boom strategically staged for deployment on several islands. IOSA relies heavily on the dedicated volunteers to respond and on the community for logistical and financial support.
I volunteer with IOSA. It’s a lot of fun to work with people who share the valuable, even noble, goal to protect our beautiful island homes.
Learn how you can help or donate at https://iosaonline.org/.