Public Hearing - EISs for the Proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal ...

11/3/2012
1 because of the islands' amazing landscapes and
2 waterways.
3 Many speakers have stated that a
4 catastrophic accident would have devastating impacts
5 for our local economy that could last for decades.
6 But the incremental increased industrialization of our
7 waterways will also have significant, unavoidable and
8 probably unmitigable corrosive impacts on island life.
9 Whether through the loss of uninterrupted
10 sunrise for a camper on Socia, increased vessel
11 traffic delays for the ferries we all depend on, or
12 increased ambient noise for those like me who live
13 near the vessel traffic, it lowers the appeal of these
14 islands to visitors and to residents, damaging our
15 economy, our property values and our choice of
16 lifestyle.
17 Study the impact on livability in our local
18 community and on tourism from this increased
19 industrialization of our waters. The loss off appeal;
20 whether driven by scenic blight, loss of wilderness
21 characteristics, loss of attractive habitats and
22 species, increased noise, or increased marine
23 congestion, needs to be assessed both in the
24 catastrophic scenario and in the normal operations
25 scenario. Measure the economic and the social cost to
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