Opposition

I am writing to you about the Saltsprings Fast-Acting Natural Gas Generating Facility.

I am a Registered Nurse and received my 50-year pin this past summer. I lived and worked as a massage therapist in Central West River for 30 years. Swimming in the Six Mile Brook and West River Junction at Saltsprings Park has been a great joy for many children, adults, myself, and my grandchildren for many years. It was quite a shock to hear that this plant was pushed through so quickly before we could read all the information. November 12th 2025, to February 9th, 2026.

1. I know we need to become greener, and another plant needs to be started. What really shocks me is that the backup is diesel oil rather than propane. I saw the pollution on the Dartmouth Eastern Shore from the Tufts Cove NS Power Generating Plant. Have you forgotten that 24,000 litres of oil leaked from pipes through an 11-inch hole in the pipe, with insulation wrapped around it, not the tank? 19,000 litres leaked on land and 5,000 litres leaked into Halifax Harbour. This cannot be accepted again. The West River is very pristine for animals drinking and swimming, our paradise for so many years. The settlement ponds from the Saltsprings Plant will be released into the Six Mile Brook, then into the West River. If there were a diesel oil leak, it could enter the water aquifers, pollute many wells, reach the West River, and reach our beautiful beaches.

Propane leaks have minimal environmental impact because it is non-toxic and does not contaminate soil, water, or aquifers. It rapidly vaporizes and dissipates into the air, avoiding long-term environmental contamination and posing no risk to marine ecosystems, wildlife, or groundwater. Non-combusted propane is not a greenhouse gas.

2. Many power plants have to make their exhaust stacks taller because of oil and natural gas. With propane, it burns much cleaner than diesel. Diesel exhaust is classified as a carcinogen. Exposure is linked to lung cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other respiratory illnesses. We are trying to go greener. Why not propane for backup?

3. Propane does not have a shelf life. It lasts forever when properly contained. Propane tanks can be recycled, but oil tanks cannot. Diesel oil has a shelf life of 6-12-24 months. It breaks down. A typical propane tank has a useful lifespan of 30 to 40 years and is made of recycled steel. The brass fittings are also 100% recyclable.

4. Propane is renewable when it is produced from plants, plant oils, or waste grease. A green propane.
At combustion, green, renewable propane’s carbon is neutral. No new carbon is added to the atmosphere. Yes, that is down the road, but why not be set up for possibilities if we are TRULY GOING GREEN?

5. Propane’s low carbon intensity is why it is approved as a clean air alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act of 1990. PRIME Minister Carney took a surcharge off of propane gas because it is so much cleaner than oil and gas.

6. Propane is not mined like battery materials or extracted like oil. It is primarily manufactured from natural gas as a by-product of methane purification.

7. Propane has a higher energy density than ethanol, methanol, and liquified natural gas. Therefore, on a tank of fuel, a propane engine can last longer than other same engines. The Energy Star program gives propane a source site ratio of 1.01, compared to 3.03 for electricity from the grid. This means it takes 3.03 units of electricity to produce and deliver one unit of energy to a home, compared to only 1.01 for propane.

8. $5 million dollars will be spent on this project by the end of March 2026. Is this taxpayers’ money? Give us a chance to be heard. Please consider a cleaner backup fuel, such as propane.

In the write-up of the project, it said our homes are worth around $200,000. One beside the area of concern just sold for $410,000. We have put a lot into our homes and care about where we live. We love it here.

Thank you for listening.