Tag Archives: bc

Importing BC Hydro to California – California Rejects BC Hydro

By Linda Heron on Thursday, February 6th, 2014
Posted in Articles, Dams, Energy, Hydroelectric, Media, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk

posted November 12, 2013
by Thomas O’Keefe

California was accepting comments on whether or not it made sense to import dirty hydropower from Canada to meet renewable energy standards. Comments were specifically being called for on the draft report entitled “Including British Columbia run-of-river facilities in the California Renewables Portfolio Standards,” that included a March 2013 Consultant Report entitled “Analysis of regulatory requirements for including British Columbia run-of-river facilities in the California Renewables Portfolio Standards.” The prospects of importing British Columbia’s dirtiest hydropower to California are very dim, but the state was soliciting public comment on the report. (Notice of Availability and Request for Comments).

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posted January 21, 2014
by Megan Hooker

On January 15th, 2014, the California Energy Commission adopted a final report that reaffirms the integrity of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) regarding imported hydropower. After 5 years of hard work, American Whitewater and our partners in the California Hydropower Reform Coalition (CHRC) and river advocates in British Columbia are celebrating this important victory, which will have a reaching impact on rivers across the border.

What do rivers in B.C. have to do with California’s RPS? In 2011, the state legislature passed the California Renewable Energy Resources Act (Senate Bill X1 2), increasing the state’s RPS goal from 20% to 33% by 2020. In a rush to capitalize on this new standard in the years leading up to the bill’s passage, hydropower developers in B.C. and utilities in California pushed the idea of allowing new hydropower development in B.C. to be considered as renewable.

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Preston Manning Argues Conservatives Should Support Carbon Pricing – CBC – The Current

An excellent CBC interview on “The Current” – Preston Manning talks about California rejecting of BC hydroelectric projects.  He refers to hydroelectric with reservoirs as “dirty hydro” because of the methane that is produced by reservoirs – which is much more worse for our climate than carbon dioxide.  He says there should be a price on power sources that damage the environment.  Check out his interview here.

BC is no different from Ontario in this respect

By Linda Heron on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
Posted in Articles, FIT Program, Green Energy Act, Media, Rivers at Risk

Memo to Media: Watchdog the Environment

Six issues the press must cover to hold power in this province accountable.

By Rafe Mair, Yesterday, TheTyee.ca

Excerpt – full article found here.

Misema River - After Hydro Facility

Misema River – After Hydro Facility

So-called ‘run of river’ projects. This donation of our wild rivers to Independent Power Projects (IPPs) so that they can make power, is one of the great heists in history. Their dams (and that’s what they are) divert water within rivers to generate power that BC Hydro is compelled to buy at double the market price and up to 10 times what they can produce it for themselves. And, it must be emphasized, nearly all of it is produced during run-off time when BC Hydro doesn’t need it but must buy anyway. They are on a “take or pay” contract forced upon BC Hydro by the Liberal government. Thanks to this unbelievable Liberal government policy, BC Hydro isnow in future debt to IPPs for some 50 to 60 billion dollars.

This has all been achieved with hardly a peep from the mainstream media! BC Hydro, the jewel in the provincial crown is now financially ruined by greedy business, urged on by a far right-wing government with nary a murmur by the mainstream media! BC Hydro, if in the private sector, would be bankrupt and escapes bankruptcy only because it can turn to us the public for their ongoing fiscal requirements. This is scandal of major proportions yet unmentioned by the media who are supposed to be protecting the province from this sort of corporate and government fiscal vandalism.