A new Clean Energy Act the British Columbia government introduced today emphasizes increasing conservation within the province while producing more energy for export.
The goals in the 36-page act include “to be a net exporter of electricity from clean or renewable resources with the intention of benefiting all British Columbians and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
It also pledges to keep rates in B.C. “among the most competitive” in North America and to reduce the expected new demand for electricity within the province by 66 percent.
The act combines B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Transmission Corp., reversing a decision made by the Liberal government in 2003.
And it makes projects that will create energy for export exempt from approval by the B.C. Utilities Commission. Nor will the BCUC review several major projects, including the Northwest Transmission Line, Site C, and recent BC Hydro calls for power.
UPDATE, 6 p.m.: NDP energy critic John Horgan said the act removes the BCUC's role in protecting consumers from the whims of the corporation and the government. “I think by rejecting the long-term acquisition plan last summer, the commission and the commissioners doing the right thing, signed their death warrant in the eyes of premier [Gordon] Campbell.”
The act will also give independent power producers more ability to take advantage of B.C. Hydro's reservoirs and will have staff at the Crown corporation helping to find markets for their power.
The government has always had the ability to issue directives to the BCUC, said Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources minister Blair Lekstrom. The Clean Energy Act gives the government the ability to set its energy policy priorities, he said.
“We have a resource here that has a tremendous amount of potential, and we're going to utilize it for the benefit of British Columbia ratepayers and taxpayers,” he said.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Frank
2 years ago
A**holes
In other words, increased hydro rates and degraded rivers for us plus less oversight of interests with a "gold rush" mentality.
But lots of money for the private sector including all the Liberal insiders that have joined IPPs.
The Liberals have followed the script that many said they would, a script they denied would happen, saying there was no "slippery slope".
Once again, critics of this government have been proven correct.
DPL
2 years ago
a government that figured
a government that figured the tar sands in Alberta are OK, wants to drill offshore and reopen old coal mines.Bring in ships to haul natural gas from the province. So they come up with one more piece of paper as they try to flog our resources to places like California who have not got around to paying for the cheap electricity they got from BC. Rave on Gordo and Co.
Hermans Hermit
2 years ago
BC Hydro Dam
My brothers and sisters at COPE 378 and IUOE 115 support BC Hydro's new dam in the north because it will provide decent union wages for many and the project will be kept in public hands. There should be more of these type of public projects by BC Hydro.
telus employee
2 years ago
BC Liberals are a good investment
Cost to IPPs to bankroll the BC Libs (2001-9) $1.5 Million
Value to IPPs Priceless (OK maybe $60+ billion in long term electricity contracts so far)
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
A few notes on the press release...
... located here.
Surprise, surprise! The BCUC has just been legislated into irrelevance. Oops, I mean they've been "modernized". They spoke out once too often on the government's plans.
What will BC Hydro do if domestic demand increases beyond the capacity which is allotted for the domestic market? Electicity from these projects will be used domestically, even though there was no BCUC oversight.
More IPPs. No surprise here.
Seeing as how most (more than 90%) of the electicity BC Hydro generates is already from hydro, this legislation will have exactly zero effect on BC's GHG emmissions.
Translation: Run-of-river and wind-power facilities generate non-firm electicity, i.e. electricity which is completely useless on its own since it is unpredictable or intermitten. So the government will use BC Hydro to subsidize these producers, not just financially through generous contracts, but also by supplementing the grid when their production is low or absent. Everybody wins! (Exccept the BC ratepayer.)
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
...more...
Not only does the contradict the exemption from all major new projects, but it's impossible. The cost of electricity from new sources is higher than the market price for electricity.
North of Hope
2 years ago
sustainability
Three things we all need are housing, food and energy. We must get these without damaging the environment or altering it too much. Any activity we do will alter the environment. We must be able to get these in such a way so all forms of life can continue to live. We must become sustainable in obtaining all of these three things. We may want more things than the big 3 but sustainability is the key. If we are not sustainable in these, then we will run out of them and we may perish.
To reduce energy wrt food, we should use local foods as much as possible. We must grow them without harmful chemicals. BC and Canada should be self-sufficient wrt food. We may import food from other places but at no net cost to the environment.
BC and Canada should be self sufficient and sustainable in energy as well. We have to look at how we are going to get our energy. We must do a complete and thorough study of all ways we can generate energy, whether it be hydro, coal, solar, geothermal, wind, nuclear, wood, biofuels, gas or any other source of energy. All methods must be examined in public and these results must be made public. Only after such a study can we use an energy source. We must do this so our energy sources are sustainable and not harmful to the environment.
For example, with the Site C Dam project, we would look at the need, if any, the costs to the environment, people displaced, farmland lost, loss of a carbon sink, water use downstream and the generation of energy without producing GHG’s.
No undertaking such as mining, housing developments, highways, etc. can be done without an environmental and sustainability analysis. We must be careful not to remove too many plants or trees, as we need them to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Other wastes must be recycled rather than thrown into landfills or oceans. Recycling must become a major activity in our sustainable culture.
We must develop a national and provincial energy and food plans so we can look forward and know we can have a healthy life for future generations.
Will Laurier
2 years ago
IBEW
The IBEW is also in favour of the new policy.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Sure Wilf
When they take a position you like then you quote them, the rest of the time it's those damn unions causing all the problems. LOL.
happy
2 years ago
Yeah, right Skywalker
You've spent the last couple of years relentlessly trashing the MSM on every subject under the sun, yet yesterday posted a link from the Canwest Sun critical of Gordo YOU agreed with. LOL double
G West
2 years ago
We should NOT be exporting power
Especially private, pirate power.
There is NO NEED for new generation to meet BC's domestic needs and no need for another wonderful opportunity for the CEO to reward his friends in private industry.
What's needed is conservation along the lines of what California has done for the past 30 odd years.
While that state's per capita consumption has stayed level, the rest of the states has increased per capita demand by 50%.
The last thing we need is another opportunity to ship scare BC resources out of the province.
happy
2 years ago
West
How was Claifornia able to maintain their per capita consumption when all other jurisdictions are increasing? That seems odd considering the demands on air conditioning sevices these days seem to be going up.
crankypants
2 years ago
The Rape and Pillage Act
It looks as if Gordo and Co. are now making a mad dash to fill as many multinational corporations with our tax dollars before they are forced to fall on their collective swords due to recall. Hence the castration of the BCUC.
Disgusting.
G West
2 years ago
happy
Here's a quick primer on what (and how) California achieved those results:
http://tinyurl.com/2g7cob
And when you've done that, read this, from the guy who did it:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/commissioners/rosenfeld_docs/2000-10_ROSENFELD_AUTOBIO.PDF
jimmy_laroux
2 years ago
@ G West
Fascinating stuff. Thanks!
Skywalker
2 years ago
Happy
Whatever are you talking about. I think you have me confused with one of your fans which I am not.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Yes Happy
I checked. I have never posted an MSM link. Triple LOL
freebear
2 years ago
What a joke
Conserve so other 'markets' can be gluttons of our electrical energy!
It is all a sham as the core idea is selling more electricity to whoever can pay for it; along with selling more tv's and electric cars and 3D microwaves and recharging crackberry this and I-Crap that!