Topic
Memo to media: time to expose Campbell's fallacy.
Targeted for project: Homathko River entering Bute Inlet. Photo Damien Gillis, Save Our Rivers Society.
More than 1,000 turn out to oppose Kootenay project.
Veteran enviro says no to Tzeporah Berman's 'PowerUp' logic.
Last week I spoke of the appalling mainstream media in B.C. and how it let Premier Gordon Campbell get away with th murder of our rivers and the ecologies they support. The exception, and a major one, is Mark Hume of the Globe and Mail whose B.C. section, combined with the national edition, gives better coverage by far of B.C. affairs than does The Vancouver (Seriously West Coast) Sun, The Province and Global combined.) I need hardly add that The Tyee encourages full debate on all issues.
I want to make it clear that I'm not asking that the media agree with any or all of the positions I've taken. I only ask that they examine the facts plus the motives and actions of the Campbell government with the same thoroughness as, in Vaughn Palmer's case especially, they brought to the "Fast Ferry" debacle of the last NDP government.
There are three main ways the media can deceive us: By not telling the truth or using half truths at best. By not talking about the issue at all. Or by cherry picking issues and avoiding the dodgy ones. The mainstream media in B.C. does all three.
Winners (few) and losers (us)
There are winners with private power. There is short term employment to build the plants and, according to Don McInnes, CEO of General Electric-backed Plutonic Power, about two thirds of that employment comes from sources outside the area. There are jobs after the plants are built -- as many as two workers will be needed to look after the computerized outfit. One cannot, of course, forget the shareholders of the companies who make these sweetheart deals.
Let's look at the Campbell argument that we need private power to meet our own needs. This is plainly not true since the vast majority of this private power comes when we don't need it and since electricity itself in bulk cannot be stored, it will all go south. It is critical that all British Columbians know that private power has nothing to do with our power needs but has from the start been targeted for export.
This bases Campbell's energy plan on an utter falsehood; thus their entire private power argument collapses.
I'm going to quote from a piece written by my colleague, Damien Gillis, the filmmaker, who does the Powerplay series for Save Our Rivers Society. It was written for The Campbell River Courier-Islander on the recent BCUC ruling that rubbished Campbell's energy plan.
Writing in support of the recent BCUC decision, which found that BC Hydro's private power program is not in the public interest, Gillis says, "the majority of the power these private river projects produce comes in spring -- when our public dams are full and demands at their lowest, meaning that all this private power will be for export. Only here's the kicker: since we're being suckered into paying two to three times the market rate for this power, we will have to flip it to our neighbours at a huge loss, driving up our power bills and taxes as BC Hydro goes from making a profit for the people of B.C. to being a drain on our province and economy. Our regulator [BCUC] blew the whistle on vastly exaggerated claims of our power needs by BC Hydro, which is really just enacting the government policy it is shackled to, whether it agrees or not."
This is the nub of the matter. BC Hydro is forced by Campbell to pay private power companies, on a "take or pay" basis that is likely to be two to three times what it can be exported for. That was the idea from the beginning even though we were all told that B.C. needed this power for its own use.
Protect the taxpayer
Don McInnes, who heads the Plutonic/General Electric partnership, has made it plain: "You'd have to be in a coma to not see where the B.C. government is going; now we need consistency of policy and certainty of timelines... An export plan is an obvious place for us to go."
What does this mean to the taxpayer?
Because nearly all private power must be exported and because BC Hydro has been forced into sweetheart "take or pay" deals at two to three times the export market value, it must now export this power at ruinous prices. With around 30 outfits up and running, BC Hydro owes them $31 billion -- if (God forbid) Bute Inlet is approved, that will add approximately $20 billion. Each new license adds to the bill. And, remember folks, BC Hydro is our company and this is your money.
But that's not all. BC Hydro has always paid a very large dividend to the government -- as high as a billion dollars one year -- and that can no longer happen for obvious seasons. That's money that builds our schools and hospitals.
And where, pray tell, is that money going?
Into the pockets of shareholders such as, in General Electric's case, Warren Buffet, for one.
BC's favour for US energy hogs
It's said by people like Guy Dauncey, president of BC Sustainable Energy Association, that the fact we can't use private energy "enables us to export green power to the U.S.A., where the new Clean Energy Act mandates that 20 per cent of electricity be from renewables by 2020, which is to our collective global environmental benefit."
Dauncey answers the obvious fact that we don't need private energy with the cheery thought that the poor old U.S. will be beneficiary, as indeed will be the world! I'm no knocker of America but before we bugger up our rivers and our world renowned power company shouldn't the United States bugger up theirs first?
Imagine the politics of this south of the line! The governor tells his legislatures and the voters that there is no need for us to make any sacrifice of our environment because B.C. is happy to do that for us!
(It's to be noted that Dauncey's organization is heavily funded by the B.C. and federal governments and the private power industry.)
Isn't it obvious that once we go down the slippery slope to being the energy source of some states, we will never be able to stop?
Played for fools
Besides, how the hell does destroying our precious watersheds to dump a bunch of power on the market at a huge loss to all British Columbians, without any assurances that our neighbours will shut down coal fired plants or not start up new ones, lead to any reduction of green house gases?
What's to stop Washington, just as an example, from starting up a fossil fuel plant, then re-selling our power that they got so cheaply to California?
That's the Campbell commitment to British Columbia, its people and generations to come -- an energy plan that permanently ruins our rivers for energy we can't use, forces BC Hydro to pay over twice what it's worth, then sell it to the United States for half or less of what it cost them, thus ensuring Hydro will go under.
There it is. Are the people of British Columbia ever going to wake up to what is happening here? ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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Matt T.
3 years ago
A Filmmaker?!
"I'm going to quote from a piece written by my colleague, Damien Gillis, the filmmaker, who does the Powerplay series for Save Our Rivers Society."
"Gillis says, "the majority of the power these private river projects produce comes in spring -- when our public dams are full and demands at their lowest, meaning that all this private power will be for export."
Notwithstanding the merits of your argument Rafe, you are now relying on a FILMMAKER regarding comlpex TECHNICAL matters?
Time to go back on vacation Rafe.
Canoe pass
3 years ago
@MATT T
Real funny,because your relying on the words of Gordon Campbell...Proven liar,proven law breaker...
I`ll take the film maker in a heart beat,you can have yout liar.
Cheers
Karen D.
3 years ago
Envirnonmental Impacts
On Plutonic's website, in a comparison of environmental impacts of different power sources, they declare that Hydro via run of river has 'zero' impact in land use and 'zero' impact on water. From what I have seen there is a huge footprint caused by roads to the sites, hundreds of miles of power lines, huge construction to house the turbines and waterways diverted threatening fish habitat. Who are they trying to convince with their lies?
Moonbug
3 years ago
lies lies and more lies
Gordon Scampbell's private power boondoggle is a terrible crime against this province and our environment.
Norman Farrell
3 years ago
@ Matt T.
Can't argue the facts eh? I think it's in the PAB procedures manual: "When you can't answer the argument, try at least to discredit the speaker."
Damien Gillis is a filmmaker but also much more.
beavertoad
3 years ago
complex?
complex? seems pretty straight forward. Spring run off + dams full + no extra storage = sell-off of excess power generated.
what's your complex?
Hughes
3 years ago
Matt T.
And your credentials Matt T.?
Grumpy
3 years ago
Building dams technical?
Beavers been doing that for millions of years.
KWD
3 years ago
what happens after you wake up?
“Are the people of British Columbia ever going to wake up to what is happening here?”
Apparently not, and if they are, they really aren’t upset enough to do much more than agree that there is a problem and hope the “happening” doesn’t hit them too hard financialy.
This question has been on the lips of those concerned about the wanton rape and pillage of resources like forests, fish and freeflowing rivers for as long as I can remember. This time-worn question prompted Alexandra Morton, and supporters, to run a full page info spread on salmon farming in the July 9th TC. (I’m not sure if it appeared elsewhere since on-line versions don’t contain paid-for advertisments.)
Morton suggests a number of ways the public … at least those concerned … can take action and voice their opposition; signing an on-line petition, letter writing, contacting “three MPs until they answer you”, not buying farmed salmon and informing your friends and daily contacts.
It will be interesting to see (by checking the “Letters” section) whether the TC and it’s readers are concerned about wild salmon … and by extention, our free flowing rivers. One thing is for sure a rebutal by Mary Ellen Walling, executive director, B.C. Salmon Farmers Association, or some proponent of open net-cage fish farming will definitely be featured.
MSM can ignore letters supporting Morton’s and Rafe’s plea but our politicians have a much harder time. They need to hear from the electorate. It might help if the article included a link to a “contact” list and possibly a sample letter.
reallife
3 years ago
Salmon farming
We suspect salmon farming kills wild stocks. We know fishing kills wild salmon. Perhaps we should stop fishing for a while and see what happens.
cghzd
3 years ago
MattT.
So, the BEST comment, according to The Tyee, is by Matt T.
Have I wasted my donation money on a publication that looks to have gone to the dark side??
Anyone with an eye and a A- hole knows the ruin of the river hydro projects are a bad deal for BC.
MJK
3 years ago
Every dark cloud...
One real positive thing that has come out of the RofR projects is that its has provided a real source of revenue and some real jobs and training for some of the people from Sliammon, Klahoose and Homalco nations. One has to give credit to McInnes for his canny understanding that First Nations had to be 'consulted and accommodated' before his so-called Green Power Corridor had a chance of succeeding. Plutonic hired community members to carry out traditional use studies, carried out impact benefit analyses agreements, etc. And, for better or worse, those somewhat remote communities now have revenue flowing into their coffers at unprecedented levels. In a weirdly ironic way, the IPPs are not only about the privatization of our rivers, but also about the transfer of the fiduciary duties of the provincial and federal governments to the corporate sector. Sheeesh!
seth
3 years ago
not just the MSM
You have to add to your list progressive media pundits that refused to do the economic analysis of pirate power. The Tyee could have unleashed Will McMartin on it. Sean Holman, Harvey Oberfeld, the CBC, Paul Wilcox, Bill Tieleman , Charlie Smith all made a few comments but none of the detailed facts and figures type analysis that might have swayed voters. Carole James tops the list with her abysmal campaign that refused to even use McMartin's excellent analysis comparing the NDP years to the Gordo's. This woman because of her inability to do even grade 3 arithmetic, was terrified of economic arguments and chose to ignore them even when polls were showing that this was the biggest advantage the Liberals had over the NDP in public perception.
We will be hearing much from Canwest/Gordo about how the BCUC is not setup to consider global warming justifying a government override. Yes Green energy will be expensive but our friends at Pirate Power are doing their best to green up BC - ad nauseum. Meanwhile the Gordo is building Tar Sands oil pipes and giving royalty discounts to Big Oil. And of course we can't be buying cheap offpeak dirty coal power from Alberta when Powerex has made a few bucks selling our expensive peak hour stored hydro - better we sell expensive pirate power at a huge discount.
Missing from Canwest/Gordo's analysis are Alberta and Saskatchewan's conclusion that nuclear is their only option to replace GHG's despite having much larger wind and solar resources than BC. Powerex would be importing cheap off peak and green nuclear power not dirty coal resources.
Iwannajob
3 years ago
run-of-river elsewhere?
Can anyone tell me how much GE and their subsidiaries have invested in run-of-river projects on the west coast of the USA? How many projects do they have in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California...all with multiple rivers capable of these projects and, in the case of the lower states, not many fish to harm? Alaska's streams still have salmon in them probably because they have a management system with balls and no fish farms!
shabbaranks
3 years ago
I'm not sold
I would really appreciate some back up for a Tyee contributor like Donald Gutstein, who's bread and butter is media analysis.
I'd be more ready to recognize the careful analsysis by an expert who's agenda is a little bit less on his sleeve than Rafe's.
How about it, Tyee? Can we have someone who knows what they're doing, and has a history of well researched critique to back it up take on some of these assertions by Rafe?
As incomplete as their coverage has been, the MSM is just as relaxed as articles like this is from Mair.
He intentionally confuses private power solely with river power (one article in 2007 excepted). The BCUC decisions screws over wind, solar, biomass, gas and any and all privately developed power. Ask the same person, "do you support wind power? and Do you support private power?" and you will get contradictory answers. The way this is presented, I'd call this a "half truths at best" and "cherry picking issues and avoiding the dodgy ones."
Your article also ignores the decision by the BCUC to develop the Burrard Thermal Plant, something that COPE is quite pleased with as this was their suggestion. Is COPE involved with developing the mandate of Save Our Rivers? So yes, "BC Hydro is our company and this is your money." To add to this: these will also be our greenhouse gas emissions and our respiratory disorders! Power and bronchitis to the People!
One last thing: States to the South won't just turn around a build coal plants because they can't. Their governments have instituted policies which require them to contract power from green sources. If you were interested in providing balanced coverage and analysis you would know this. As your job is to be a firebrand and raise ire (not that tough on this site), you are either ignorant of this or omitted it - I mean, cherry-picked it.
Skywalker
3 years ago
Right on Rafe!
If a film maker says something that makes perfect sense why is it not quotable? If Matt T said something sensible I would quote him but I'm guessing there is no danger of that happening. Does it not make perfect sense that the (Quote) "the majority of the power these private river projects produce comes in spring -- when our public dams are full and demands at their lowest, meaning that all this private power will be for export." (Unquote). Mickey Mouse could have said it. It is so obvious. Truth is like that.
The logical conclusions drawn "since we're being suckered into paying two to three times the market rate for this power, we will have to flip it to our neighbours at a huge loss, driving up our power bills and taxes as BC Hydro goes from making a profit for the people of B.C. to being a drain on our province and economy." is also dead on.
One wonders who the political hacks on the BC Hydro Board are that they are not speaking out against this nonsense.
etch
3 years ago
confused
the 'raped and pillaged wilderness' for RoR argument is the one that moves me most and could sell with the mainstream (at least urban). but where is our science on that one? first commenter took a bit of bashing, but shouldn't we be quoting conservation biologists, ecologists etc. to make that case? I've heard 'habitat fragmentation,' 'stream degradation for roads', 'creation of predator corridors' etc. thrown around by opinionistas. Do we not have any authoritative professional voices out there?
seth
3 years ago
What $50 billion buys
That 50 billion dollars BCHydro has committed and will be forced to buy from pirate power over the next 40 years gives us about 18000 gigawatt hours of firm power roughly a third of hydro's capacity. If we took that 50 billion did some math using BC's three percent long term borrow rate it appears for the same money we could buy about 11 big 1.2 gigawatt nukes based on Westinghouse's last big sale to China producing 110000 gigawatt hours of energy every year, twices hydro's capacity and almost enough to eliminate BC's total fossil fuels usage.
If the Harpo was to somehow get over pleasuring himself with his apocalyptic vision of the world drowning in GHG's, perhaps we could combine with Alberta's need for a minimum of 12 reactors to green up the tar sands, and the rest of Canada's GHG elimination needs. We could do a massive order with AECL and get them back into the nuke game, creating a excellent export opportunity for Canada.
Climate scientists tell us we may have as little as ten years before we fall over a global warming precipice. Only nuclear power has any possibility of saving us in that time frame. Even if waste burning Generation 4 reactors never become fully exploited, if we have to destroy a few square miles of the planet forever as a storage dump for nuclear waste better that than losing the entire planet. Note that the tars sands project has already destroyed hundreds of square miles of land forever. We could store the waste there and nobody would ever notice.
Canoe pass
3 years ago
There is no confusion
Lets speak to truth.......
First off,the California senate has rejected the BC goverment`s claim that big run of river is green energy,that speaks volumes.....Here is the link to that story.
http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=fea563b3-0589-4d4a-8c75-f1488eb8d2e2&k=47024
Now lets discuss some more factual items....
#1)Gordon Campbell is a habitual liar,he lied about bc rail,lied about ripping up contracts,lied about our current bc debt,lied about not bringing in the HST,lied about funding cuts,illegally destroyed Emails,lied about olympic security costs,conned us on the effect of the carbon/gas tax.........
So fool me once shame on you,fool me 100 times shame on me or us.......
So,a judge in court,once a defendent has been deemed to be a liar everything that defendent says is taken in the context that the defendent is a compulsive liar,therfor not to be believed on anything......
So just ask yourself,Campbell has lied his face off,but now he telling the truth,cmon,how old are you people,grow up,a liar is a liar is a liar.
RossK
3 years ago
Did Mr. Mair Just Call Out...
Vaughn Palmer?
Why yes, I believe he did.
.
frank2
3 years ago
shabbaranks raises a good
shabbaranks raises a good question which has bothered me too. One of rafe's basic assertions is that BC will pay "high" prices for IPP power and export it at much lower prices to the US. I have seen no evidence of this, though. For example, I had understood we sell our hydro power at high peak rates during the day (and import cheap dirty power from Alberta during low demand periods at night) If so, would the same apply to IPP power? What are the facts? e.g. peak/off peak rates, seasonal patterns in demand/supply of different soures? Differences betwen contracted and spot market rates? etc. It's easy to state the questions -- and make assertions about the answers. But what are the facts? (They may be out there, but my imperfect search hasn't discovered them. And Tyee could do a service in providing them.)
selmapark
3 years ago
Run of River
In defense of Rafe Mair (who has campaigned tirelessly against these RoR projects from the start) he has brought this issue to the attention of many many more people than the B.C. Liberal or the CanWest Global empire has. The statistics he uses are gleaned from a variety of sources, the National Energy Board and Stats B.C. to name a couple. And don't forget that many of our environmental groups have top environmental scientists on their boards!
I have written numerous letters asking the MSM (CBC included) to provide a non partisan report to explain the concept of Run of River (in particular as it has the potential to cause big environmental destruction for perhaps little gain) and how it will help us - to no avail. Thank God we have Rafe and people like him to give us some perspective.
mcgregory
3 years ago
Hydro Bill
Looks like my bill is going up 7% next summer due to HST, now I guess it will have to go up a little more to subsidize the cost of exporting power to the USA.
North of Hope
3 years ago
@ Matt T. and frank2
Most people who live in temperate climates and near a river are aware that the rivers run higher in the spring and maybe early summer due to the melting snow. Since the ROR IPP's do not have dams to store the water, they generate most of their energy at this time. And so they can only provide their electric energy at this time.
BC Hydro, with its dams and reservoirs can store the water and supply energy when it wishes. It can supply it in the summer when people use air conditioners and and at Xmas when the Christmas Tree lights are on or when ever there is a demand. It can adjust the flow of water through the turbines so when demand is low, production is low. The ROR IPP's cannot do this and can generate electricity when the flow is high, after the spring melt.
frank2, you should read "Liquid Gold" by John Calvert. It answers all the questions you pose.
CourtGQuinn
3 years ago
Ocean Falls power production...
As mentioned in other posts...i've been researching Ocean Falls quite a bit recently. The power produced by the dam there is interesting. It's quite telling that actual monetary numbers regarding the power produced there can't be found. How much did Central Coast Power Corp by the former dam for? Who paid for the transmission line connecting OF to Bella Bella? How much does the Heiltsuk in Bella Bella pay for power from OF/CCPC? How much did CCPC sell to Boralex for? It would seem the person who just sold CCPC to Boralex is connected to one person deeply involved in the former "hydrogate" scandal (bradner ventures). Funny thing...the daughter of the former chair of BC Hydro recently went to court regarding the hiding of assets from the former husband who's involved in the "hydrogate" scandal..and who would seem connected to CCPC/Ocean Falls dam. The former chair of BC Hydro and his daughters former husband were involved in strange deals. From what i've read the former chair of BC Hydro may have gotten a $500 000 wrongful dismisal payout as the "hydrogate" scandal was thought to be mostly hype. That was a number of years ago. Well, just last year the former BC Hydro's daughter divorced a certain person who was involved with the "International Power Corp" hydrogate scandal and Bradner/CCPC. She sued her former husband stating that he was hiding assets in overseas banks. By sueing her former husband for hiding assets...did she indirectly make suspect the BC Hydro verdict given to her father years ago? After not knowing much about BC Hydro...and reading up about the OceanFalls/Boralex/CCPC power deal ...and the people involved in those deals....let's just say the running of BC Hydro is suspect.
frank2
3 years ago
Thanks, North of Hope. I
Thanks, North of Hope. I understand the general point about seasonality of flows, but have seen no evidence about the profitabiity of run of river (leaving aside the environmental impacts, which I agree are horrendous). Specifically, would this power enable increased sales at a profit (to BC)? Maybe Calvert provides the answers. I'll skim the book next time I get to town -- and even bu it if it seems the evidence is there.
stevebailey
3 years ago
BC Mainstream media? Hopeless!
I've tried a few times to get letters published in our BC rags concerning the boondoggle and dangers of the private power crew. No luck. Over-all coverage by Sun and province has been abysmal and filled with fuzzy nonsense. The facts do speak for themselves. For me right now, the three big issues Campbell's Liberals are mortgaging our future on are the private power projects, the Olympic fiscal fiasco, and the lies, lies, and more lies about the HST. We've all been betrayed over and over again and we shouldn't take it anymore. It's worse than a banana republic -- or the whims of medieval feudal rulers.
Canoe pass
3 years ago
Frank2
Of course these projects are profitable,Campbell has GIVEN THEM A GUARANTEED PRICE.......
Triple the spot market rate for power at that time of the year........
These projects would not of happened without that guarantee from Campbell,is that a free market?
Campbell has guaranteed BC Hydro to become bankrupt!
Skywalker
3 years ago
Stevebailey
Your right. Today's news had an item on "toxic friends" and how to get rid of them. That was news!! I couldn't believe the stupidity. Lull the public to sleep with the stuff of brain dead people to keep them from getting angry. Turn to BCTV or CTV and it is the same nonsense. They spend most of the time on issues so irrelevant to the average intelligent person you would be better off never to watch a single day of the news.
Canoe pass
3 years ago
It`s all about the money.......
Your money,my money,everyone in the province of BC`s money.
http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Private+power+industry+booming+that+good+thing/1671621/story.html
shabbaranks
3 years ago
Seasonal Power
It's important to note that wind and biomass - two very feasible generation means - are rarely mentioned in these private power debates and are not subject to the same seasonal limitations that run of river is. Biomass is on demand. Wind blows stronger in the winter than in the summer and spring (when rivers are rushing). It would be complementary. Again - don't confuse all IPP projects as being river powered alone. It's a weak argument and only applicable if we were to put all of our generation eggs in one basket.
Another weak argument: the big corporation bashing. Yes, these companies are not mom and pop shops or traditional small businesses. But could anyone enlighten me on any traditional small businesses that require over $50 million (and up - that's for a smaller project) in capital costs? Large corporations (or alternatively, Crown corporations) are needed to build these. Either way - we pay, because new projects aren't going to be built for free. And as much as I'm loathe to say it, GE will bring more jobs, faster, to areas hit hard with low employment from this economy as well as the loss of forestry and fishing industries than BC Hydro built projects.
@etch - almost all projects have to go through a difficult environmental assessment process conducted by several government ministries in order to build a project. The quality of their scrutiny is debatable and should be reformed, but the idea that these projects will kill fish and habitat is quite overstated. Keep in mind that many of the run of river opponents like projects like Site C in Northern BC which will require the flooding of a valley - no run of river project will come close to that type of habitat destruction and disruption. They also seem to like a gas burning plant and nuclear. Somewhat ironic and should give pause when examining the environmental banner that private power opponents hide behind.
ME2
3 years ago
Playing Devil's Advocate.
If Hydro can store the energy/water it buys from Pirate power (at premium rates), it can then resell the enegy/water later on to recover its initial cost, for a zero-sum game.
That would depend, of course, on whether it had the extra storage capacity behind its dams. I seem to recall that run-off has been diminishing in recent years.
If that scenario should apply, that would allow BC Hydro to keep selling cheap power locally while recovering its costs in export sales.
CourtGQuinn
3 years ago
Not casting fault..
In my above post i don't want it to sound like there's specific people who engaged in unlawful activity. The issue has been dealt with through government expenditures of vast sums for lawyers many years ago. Then, like today, probably too much is spent on show trials that prove nothing and accomplish less. When gov and biz is involved in BC, Canada or anywhere else in the world...many deals may be "legal"..maybe they may not be legit from other perspectives.
"Ocean Falls Development Corp", "BC Cellulose Company", "Doman Industries", "BCRIC", "Central Coast Power Corp", "BC Hydro"-> "International Power Corp"
Looking at ippbc.com....there's a list that shows all the private power locations currently in service (both hydro and thermal sources)...and a list that shows future approved projects for "Electricity purchase agreements" (hydro (small scale and large), thermal (bio, coal, co-gen) and wind projects). The current list of private power producers in BC shows 35 differnet locations/companies that have agreements to sell/market hydro electricity. Since the Liberals have been in power in BC...16 differnt locations have started providing private power. In the 1990's while the NDP governed...16 different locations were approved for private power. In the late 1980's two private power companies were established. And the only other location currently providing private power was opened in 1917...the Ocean Falls hydro dam. It would seem that the when the Socred "Ocean Falls Development Corp" sold the hydro dam in the early 1980's....that was the first private power purchasing agreement entered into in BC. What makes the deal suspect- both then and now- is the fact that few numbers are involved when looking at the books. Money exchanged. Contracts. Agreements. Why should the people who live in Bella Bella or OF pay either a market rate ... or some agreed to government sum...when the dam/hydro infrastrucutre is over 90 years old! The amortization probably paid for itself over 50 years ago. Granted, there is/was a little maintainence/upkeep...and a submarine power line was built 25 years ago (how much?, who paid?..BC Hydro? Federal Gov? CCPC?). Even considering hiring a few people to run/fix the OF dam...and the amortization costs for the 20 kilometer cable...why should the Bella Bella natives or OF residents pay more then...what...3 cents a kilowatt hour, maybe?
And just how much energy does the OF dam currently produce?...and what capacity is sitting idle (how much more MW's with existing infrastructure)? An RBC analyst report stated that the dam was producing 13 000 MWh priced at $175 MWh. ippbc.com says the dam is rated 12.2 MW's and produced 58 GWh. How much a kilowatt hour are BB and OF residents paying...5 cents kwh?...10 cents kwh? Should they be paying less?
Quixote
3 years ago
Canada will become a Power Generator for USA
In B.C. you are experiencing the same problems with big Government as we are in Ontario. Using your natural resources to generate massive amounts of electricity for export to the USA all at OUR loss of lands, rivers, and homes. Only in Ontario we are being "raped" by Wind Companies who are in bed with our Provincial Government. In B.C. they are after your beautiful rivers. This is all true. It is stated in the Wind Company's CANWEA booklet called "Wind Vision 2025" and states very clearly that Ontario will become a generator for renewable energy for export to the U.S.A.
We are being "sold out" by the very people we have "elected" to lead us, protect us and spend OUR money wisely. As Lee IaCocca states in his book very loudly and clearly: "Throw The Bums Out!"
Intention Pure
3 years ago
Private Power Projects
Thank you to Rafe Mair and Damian Gillis, and everyone else (thousands) who have used their time and energy, to bring Independent Power Projects and the environmental disaster they represent into the public eye (over 800 water license applications on our BC rivers now).
Anyone wanting answers as to what is going on in America compared to what is going on in BC need look no further than the Western Governor's Association and the Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) documentation and mapping (recently formed group that includes the primiers of Canada's Western Provinces of BC and Alberta and comes to us on the heels of the undemocratic Security and Prosperity Partnership). BC has been pegged for hydroelectric power generation and under-assessed, if assessed at all, for other renewable resources such as geothermal, wind, solar, and tidal.
The people will resist when this hegemony is forced on them.
The the residents of BC demand that BC is assessed in the same way as the Western States. Canadians want to share their resources, but not for profit for corporations owned by American oligarchs, and not at the cost of ruining our headwaters, watersheds, tributaries, fish and wildlife habitat, water ecology, and rivers.
ripponfalls
3 years ago
The press allows El Gordo to get away with it
just as they let him say that BC is now coming out of the recession. In spite of the latest Bloomberg report that by 2010 over 30 percent of US homeowners will be underwater on their mortgages, and Deutschebank estimating that it will be 48 percent by 2011.
I'd like to say that emotion and the spectacle seems to have totally replaced investigative journalism, but the amount of good investigative reporting and intelligence has always been low. We just don't remember how bad Thompson papers were... or before that, Lord Beaverbrook's media and (in the states) Fox and earlier Hearst
That's the reason that the Socreds with Rafe as cabinet minister got away with so much.
oldstyle
3 years ago
Take another look
Don't look now, but we're doin' it again.
While we heap the scorn on Gordon Campbell we are developing an unhealthy focus.
I don't mean that reporting what the government is up to (including its lies and deception) is a negative focus, I mean that just plain bitching about it column after column is not helpful and its not healthy.
I recall those words of wisdom... "If nothing changes - then nothing changes." Don't expect Gordon Campbell to change. We have no control on how he runs his mouth or head. If we want change and an honest government then we need to stop focusing on what we don't want and start focusing on what we do want.
Self responsible people would be paying attention and recognize when they are being conned and manipulated. Self responsible people would make it impossible for a Gordon Campbell to get away with selling us out. Self responsible people would be more careful of who they voted for and they would realize that honesty is a far better quality than experience and cleverness.
Haven't we figured it out yet?
Complaining only brings more things to complain about. It's the nature of things, but David Suzuki never told us that. And we won't see a better government until we stop focusing on the problems and start focusing on the politicians that get it right. Surely there are good examples of honest politicians.
Let's call the cheaters on their lies and deception, but let's put more of our time and energy into supporting what we want to see happen.
And we will have the government we deserve.
alia
3 years ago
one wonders, indeed
"One wonders who the political hacks on the BC Hydro Board are that they are not speaking out against this nonsense."
"Actually, our premier has personally appointed ex-Enron executives to execute this particular scam! Two officers of the Anderson Consulting operation are now directors of a portion of the divided B.C. Hydro enterprise.
See also: the relation between Mr David L. Hahn & Covanta (formerly Ogden Corp.) bankruptcy which was a fall-out from the Enron melt-down and hurt shareholders, creditors, and users of the service to the tune of billions, it has been said - in the Philippines. Covanta declared bankruptcy and asked for Chapter Eleven protection - a way in which bankrupt U.S. companies can try to re-coup or at least have plenty of time to sell for something that protects top officers such as Mr Hahn.
Unfortunately, our situation is even more serious than it appears."
Camero409
3 years ago
ROR
I've said it in other places here but if you really want to know who benefits from ROR projects, FOLLOW THE MONEY. I rest my case!
freebear
3 years ago
Will BC Hydro have to pay HST when purchasing private elctricity
Now many Liberal voters are crying about re-electing the HST scammer MLA's!
What is it like to remove your blindfolds?
Hope the truth is not too bright without your rose coloured glasses!