Dear Editor,
The Salmon River pump station at the mouth of the river helps drain flood waters from low-lying areas around Fort Langley.
There are also numerous dikes around Fort Langley.
With the spectre of global warming, rising sea levels, and B.C. glaciers retreating, will the additional greenhouse gas emissions resultant from Canadian bitumen production and eventual consumption overseas have an added impact on flood-related issues in Langley Township?
Will tripling the bitumen volume through Langley Township indirectly exacerbate flooding-related concerns right here at home.
Would the additional taxes raised from pipeline expansion (about $550,000 per year) be able to pay for the long-term cost of pump station maintenance and upgrades, dike upgrades, and flood damage?
Would the Township even set aside collected taxes for this purpose, or spend it all on other things?
Past costs have been in the tens of millions of dollars. Is pipeline expansion beneficial for Langley, or will it actually come back to bite the residents?
Property owners and residents in and around Fort Langley have reason to be concerned. The Township should sharpen its collective pencils and consider the long-term secondary impact that pipeline expansion would likely have.
Matt Hennig, Fort Langley