Pipeline, terminal project delayed over beluga concerns

Public opposition is mounting to a project to build an export terminal at a key habitat for endangered beluga whales.  TransCanada Corporation wants to build an $11-billion dollar gas pipeline through eastern Canada and an export terminal at Cacouna, on the St. Lawrence River.

Listen‘The worst sector possible’

“It’s the worst sector possible to build such a thing because it’s in the area for reproduction,” says Christian Simard, director of Nature Quebec, which represents several conservation groups in the province of Quebec.

“It’s an area of high residence for the beluga of the St. Lawrence. It’s an at-risk species (with) only 880 individuals. They are in decline.”

‘No public debate’

There has been no public debate on the project, says Simard. The corporation has been negotiating with municipalities and land owners and has done some preliminary drilling.

Environmentalists went to court to get a temporary injunction, successfully arguing that there was no scientific opinion on the safety of the work. That injunction expired October 16^th and the groups will seek as permanent stay from the court.

Noise worse than predicted

Belugas were already avoiding the area where the work was going on. Simard says the noise they were exposed to was four times the volume predicted and spread over an area 25 times larger than projected. If a terminal were built the noise would be worse and the boat traffic would be “fatal,” he says.

There have been two demonstrations against the project in the small town of Cacouna and environmental groups say 38,000 people have signed a petition opposing it. They want the Quebec government to halt all drilling in the area permanently. So far the company is still waiting for government permission to resume exploratory drilling.  Even if it could resume drilling, It likely could not complete the work before before its permit expires and ice sets in at the end of November.