| September 14, 2009 Valley MLAs Remain Committed To Preserving Air Quality VICTORIA – As Metro Vancouver holds meetings in the Fraser Valley this week to discuss the future of waste management for the Lower Mainland, BC Liberal MLAs John van Dongen and John Les are maintaining their dedication to protecting air quality in the Fraser Valley. “The Fraser Valley is a unique place and we have had to deal with the inflow of air pollutants created by the outlying areas,” says Chilliwack MLA John Les “We need to protect this airshed and do whatever we can to ensure that we are not adding to air pollution. This is an environmental issue but it is also an issue of health and safety.” “Sustainable waste management is a critical issue in the Lower Mainland and one our government will thoroughly examine,” says Abbotsford South MLA John van Dongen. “As we are faced with a decision on finding alternative options for the Lower Mainland, we need to keep in mind that the communities in the Fraser Valley cannot be expected to compromise the quality and the preservation of their air quality. The BC Liberal government has long supported the need for protecting the air quality in the Fraser Valley. Last month, the government repeated a commitment to phase out reliance on the 47 year old, 900 megawatt Burrard Thermal power plant. As well, it was the BC Liberals that initiated the campaign against the 660 megawatt Sumas 2 Generation Facility (S2GF) power plant proposed in northern Washington State. Six years later, it was the BC Liberal government that successfully opposed the construction of the Sumas Energy 2 plant. The MLAs are supportive of the need for the province to deal with its own waste issues but note that incineration facilities could impact Fraser Valley air quality. “The option to extend the use of the Cache Creek Landfill is one idea that should be considered as we look at other options for waste management,” says Les. “The idea of waste-to-energy incineration plants has merit but it is not something that the Fraser Valley can accommodate.” A WTE facility in the Vancouver Island community of Gold River is one option that is being considered. -30- | |
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