From: "Tom Hackney" <thackney@island.net>
Subject: GSX Hearing Days 9 & 10
Date: March 7, 2003

GSX Hearing -- Days 9 & 10
(partial review -- I was only there part of the time)

Day 9 (Thursday 6 March)

After procedural issues, Susie Washington Smyth began the Marine Coalition's
cross examination of Panel 5, focusing on environmental impacts and baseline
assessment of the marine portion of the pipeline. She pointed out the
assessment's lack of baseline information on "charismatic macrofauna", i.e.
orcas and harbour porpoises. She was assisted in cross by Dr. Bill Austin
and Dr. Katherine Dunster. Dr. Dunster managed to nail the applicant for
failing to find 14 active heron nests in the pipeline study area. Susie
nailed them for failing to specify that the harbour porpoise hangs out right
where the pipeline is supposed to be routed. The Marine Coalition's cross
continued all day.

Day 10 (Friday 7 March)

The Marine Coalition's cross continued, with Dr. Dunster going into detail
on eel grass issues and the lack of study information on aquatic birds along
the pipeline route. The drift of the cross here is to establish that the
environmental study had inadequate baselines.

Steve Miller filed motions to have the applicant answer a couple of
information undertakings that it made to Steve a week ago. He also asked the
Panel to consider moving its venue to the Arbutus Ridge facility, so that
there would not be a constraint on the duration of the hearing imposed by
the 19 March end of the room booking in Sydney.

The NEB staff estimated (roughly) the schedule for the next week:

-- Panel 5 (engineering and environmental/socio-economic) cross-examination
to run into Monday afternoon.
-- Panel 6 (seismic) cross-examination to run to the end of Monday afternoon
(few questions anticipated, apart from Gordon Bell).
-- Panel 7 (safety/risk) to begin Monday evening (7 p.m. to 9 -ish)
-- Panel 7 to continue all of Tuesday, with an evening session if necessary
to complete it. Glenn Thornton is expected to do an extensive
cross-examination for GSXCCC.
-- Cross-examination of Panel 5 on marine mammals: Wednesday afternoon.
-- Cross-examination of Marine Coalition witness panel: Wednesday p.m. (few
or no questions expected)
-- Cross-examination of other intervenors' witness panels: Wednesday p.m (no
questions expected).
-- Cross-exam of federal government witness panel(s): Wednesday p.m. and
evening (few questions expected)
-- Panel 8 (public and aboriginal consultation, land acquisition) --
Wednesday evening & Thursday a.m.

I believe the intention here is to create a free day on Friday so that we
will have one free business day (plus the weekend) to prepare our final
arguments. I expect that final arguments will therefore commence on Monday.
The Panel has hinted that it might restrict the length of final arguments in
order to finish by the end of the 19th.


Tom Hackney
BC Chapter - Sierra Club of Canada
and GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition
(250) 381-4463; fax (250) 381-4407
thackney@island.net