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Coal burning still not slated for Crofton |
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Catalyst has no plans to add coal to its list of fuels in Crofton
despite recently gaining approval to do just that in its Elk Falls mill.
By Peter Rusland
The Pictorial
Dec 03 2005
Catalyst's Crofton pulp mill has no plans to burn coal despite its sister plant at Elk Falls using the controversial fuel.
"We have no plans at Crofton to do anything like that and we'd broach
the subject with our Community Advisory Forum first if that was the
case," mill vice-president Don McKendrick said. His mill hasn't applied
for a coal-use permit from B.C.'s environment ministry.
Crofton has also shelved plans to apply to burn coal, shredded tires
and treated rail ties as alternate fuel following public outcry in
2004. Protests prompted the mill to strike the CAF for input on
emissions, studies and monitoring.
McKendrick commented after ministry issuance of a permit amendment to
the Elk Falls mill north of Campbell River. It allows the mill to burn
coal as a supplemental fuel beyond its trial permit, expired Oct. 31.
Elk Falls now has permanent permission to burn coal to a maximum of 83 tonnes daily.
But it must reduce sulphur content and install an air monitoring system
at the Cape Mudge Indian band village on Quadra Island by April amid
rising cancer rates there.
"Elk Falls has been doing it on a trial basis for several years and
this is the culmination of applying for a permit amendment," McKendrick
said.
He said science and technology at Elk Falls would have to show coal burning isn't environmentally harmful.
Crofton's director of environment, Graham Kissack, said Catalyst
assesses energy and environmental impacts on a mill-by-mill basis "and
in Campbell River there was a good case made for coal"
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