Canada and the United States are squaring off on the right to sail through Head Harbour Passage. The passage has been used by the American people for hundreds of years to reach ports in the North East and Canada has never objected. Recently however there have been plans to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) port in Mill Creak Maine. This has prompted Stephan Harper to consider placing restrictions on what he claims is Canadian waters.
LNG plants are very similar to the oil refineries such as the one in Eastern Passage. They are very dirty and cause a major eye soar in the area. There are also fears that allowing the passage of large tanker ships could disrupt the marine life in the area, including our endangered Right Whale. Some even fear the outcomes of an oil spill in the area.
LNG plants are relatively safe, but there have been a few major accidents over the years. In 2004 in Algeria a portion of the plant exploded causing a fire that took more than 8 hours to extinguish. 27 people died and 56 more were injured. In 1973 in New York, an empty container caught fire and the pressure caused the top of the dome to be lifted and than collapse killing 37 employees.
The United States does not agree with the claim that the waterway belongs to Canada. They believe that the passage is part of international waters and even if Canada can claim it they have to allow passage for American ships. The Canadian government signed an agreement which said they would not restrict foreign vessels from entering internal waters unless there are security concerns.
If the LNG plant is created the plan is to send the gas through pipelines that will run from Nova Scotia to Maine and out to the North Eastern United States.
EXTERNAL LINKS
Chronicle Herald - Canada, U.S. bicker over waterway
savepassamaquoddybay.org
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