Prince Rupert comment period closing February 5

The Port of Prince Rupert has taken a great step to prevent pollution - but they’re missing some of the details, and that is where you come in.

The Port of Prince Rupert is nestled at the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest and Sea on the North Coast of British Columbia. Prince Rupert is a growing port, offering some competition to other West Coast ports for shipping from Asia. It is surrounded by fragile marine ecosystems and important habitat for Northern Resident Killer Whales, sea otters, and the kelp forest ecosystems.

Early in 2023, the Port made an exciting announcement: They are planning to ban the acid-dumping machines known as open-loop scrubbers. However, their documentation has a couple loopholes, and we want to make sure they close those to offer the ocean the best protections they can.

The proposed changes are subject to a comment period ending on February 5th – we need you to write in and help protect the Great Bear Sea.

Will you send an email directly to the Prince Rupert Port Authority and tell them to protect the ocean?

Submit your comment now

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PERSONALIZE YOUR MESSAGE

Remember to personalize your letter. The most impactful letters include details about why you care about this issue or how you'll be impacted by the Prince Rupert Port Authority's decision.

Prince Rupert Port Author

Prince Rupert Port Authority

Dear Harbour Master,

My name is {user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}, and I am writing to you today to participate in the public consultation process on the proposed updates to the Prince Rupert Port Authority Information Guide 2023. As a concerned resident, I applaud your move to ban the use of open-loop exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers). In addition to banning open-loop scrubbers, I ask that you also ban all discharges from hybrid and closed-loop scrubbers.

Scrubbers are a big problem for the ocean because the  wastes these systems dump into our oceans contain dangerous chemicals, heavy metals, and sulphur-based acid. These "emissions cheat systems" contribute to degraded water quality, the toxicity burden of sediment, and to ocean acidification. The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas has found that scrubber washwater has lethal and sub-lethal effects on plankton – a critical component of marine ecosystems.

The PAHs and heavy metals that are dumped in wastewaters from scrubbers are not only toxic to wildlife, they accumulate in the marine environment. They stick around in sediment, or are absorbed by marine wildlife including filter feeding organisms. Bioaccumulation throughout the foodweb means that top predators will have relatively high concentrations of these toxins, like already threatened orcas. Preventing these lethal substances from entering  the marine environment is critical for ecosystem health.

In light of the above, I am writing to celebrate your proposal to ban open-loop scrubbers under the power that you have, and suggest that you include all discharges from all scrubber types in your ban.

Hybrid and closed-loop scrubbers can and do produce wastes and discharge, both intentionally and incidentally, into the ocean. Those discharges contain concentrated levels of toxins and should be banned.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind regards,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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