Fishermen support Donkin plan to truck coal after company says rail too pricey

Coal extracted from the Donkinmine in Cape Breton will not be transported by rail despite calls from fishermen to find an alternative to bargingproductoffshore.

However, it appears both sides have come to an agreement that could see coal moved by truck.

"Transporting coal by rail isn't something we are considering right now as the installation of the infrastructure required is cost prohibitive and the permitting/construction timelines are unacceptable," Donkin vice-president Shannon Cambell said Monday in a written statement.

• Cape Breton fishermen protest outside Donkinmine over coal barge plans
• 'Let them take it by rail': Fishermen oppose Donkinmine's marine terminal plan

A group of fishermen in the area hasprotested a long-term plan by KameronCollieries the U.S.-based owner of the Donkinoperation to barge coal from a marine terminal south of the mine to larger vessels waiting offshore. The fishermenclaim doing so would damage lucrative fishing grounds and hurt their livelihoods.

"Our first choice was rail," said Herb Nash, a member of the fishermen'sliaison committee that has been in talks with Donkin.

"That would have kept everybody happy, because nobody wanted them going through their community."

During a recent meeting with the committee, Campbell laid out the company's plans to build a new, privatebypass road in order to minimize the impacts of trucking on local neighbourhoods.

Though the fishermenhad originally opposed the trucking of coal out of concern for arearesidents, Nash saidthey are satisfiedwith the company's latest solution.

Nash is hopeful the new road means the barging plan is on hold for now.

• Donkincoal trucks too big for Port Morien-arearoads, residents say

"The way I understood it ... they were going to build this road and see how this works, and hopefully this here would do it," he said.

However, Campbell has indicated plans for barging are proceeding.

"In order to finalize a marine terminal concept, we need to performgeotechnicaltesting and drill small holes into thesea floorto determine the depth of sediment and bedrock," Campbell said in the statement.

No date has been set for that work. Nash said the fishermen are also opposed to drilling.

"We're hoping to work it out. That's why we got this committee set up to try to work out this stuff before it happens," he said."But worsecome to worse, we'll have to do what we can do to stop it."

Campbell said the company continues to have ongoing, respectful and productive discussions with the committee.

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