Two city councils are reviewing motions on export terminals, fuelled by a November 2012 proposal to expand the coal export capacity of the Fraser Surrey Docks coal terminal.

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts says a report will be put to council on Monday regarding the health and environmental implications of the expansion and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has tabled a motion for a potential bylaw enforcing the assessment of the health impacts of all future ports.

Robertson also proposed that staff “report back on a bylaw to prevent the expansion of, or creation of, new coal export infrastructure within the City of Vancouver”

The controversial expansion at Fraser Surrey Docks would increase the port’s capacity for exporting coal to 4 million tonnes per annum initially, later doubling to 8Mtpa.

The final decision on the project sits with federal Port Metro Vancouver which just last month approved a $200 million expansion of North Vancouver’s Neptune Bulk Terminals, roughly doubling that site’s export capacity of coal to 18.5Mtpa.

ILN previously reported that PMV president and chief executive Robin Silvester responded to December protests with the body’s position on the expansion.

“Port Metro Vancouver recognizes that some citizens or groups may have concerns about the types of commodities that are traded through the port,” he said in a statement.

“This dialogue should take place between the people of Canada and senior levels of government, as it falls outside the scope of Port Metro Vancouver’s jurisdiction.”

However, debate continues to target PMV, with Robertson’s motion claiming PMV has no responsibility for what happens beyond the port and that “the transport of coal by train to PMV exposes residential communities to diesel exhaust and coal dust”

“A February 2013 study ‘Human health effects of rail transport of coal through Multnomah County, Oregon’ by the Multnomah County Health Department stated that ‘there are significant gaps in the scientific literature regarding how much coal dust is shed by trains carrying coal, how far coal dust travels from rail lines and the health effects of inhaling this environmental coal dust’,” the motion quoted.

Robertson’s motion is to be heard at city council on Tuesday and while it would have no effect on the proposal at the Surrey docks, it hopes to prevent future port development or expansion without proper health assessment and perhaps ban it altogether.

According to The Province, PMV corporate social responsibility vice-president Duncan Wilson said the motion was “meaningless” and inaccurate.

“None of the coal trains come through the city of Vancouver – anywhere,” he said.

“What I’m concerned about is that the motion makes some statements that I believe are incorrect.

“I understand their interest in bigger issues around coal but it seems to me that the motion is basically meaningless in terms of its impact.”

PMV is North America’s largest export port by tonnage and trades $75 billion in goods annually.