| CBC Radio - Announcement by MLA Joan McIntyre re: IPPs
SPECIAL (CBU-AM), Vancouver
Mar 19, 2008
INDEPENDENT POWER PROJECTS
ANNOUNCER (CBU): Provincial Affairs, a series of pre-recorded free time
political broadcasts presented by the CBC in conjunction with the major
political parties of British Columbia.
JOAN MCINTYRE (British Columbia Liberal MLA): Hello. I'm Joan McIntyre,
MLA for West Vancouver-Garibaldi representing the region extending from
Dundarave in West Vancouver, up the Sea-to-Sky Corridor to D'Arcy north
of Whistler.
I want to take the opportunity to talk to you about the B.C.
government's energy policy and our goal to become electricity
self-sufficient by 2016.
There's been a lot of talk and many myths regarding small hydroelectric
projects and their contribution to help meet B.C.'s ever-growing demand
for electricity.
You may not be aware, this demand has resulted in the province becoming
a net importer of electricity in an average water year. This makes B.C.
vulnerable to significant and volatile price increases and contributes
to greenhouse gas emissions. Returning B.C. to self-sufficiency will
provide air and water quality and have the added benefit of generating
more tax revenues and job opportunities within the province.
Critics of small hydro run-of-the-river green projects would seem to
prefer that B.C. continue to increasingly rely on electricity from
carbon-intense coal-fired plants in Alberta and the U.S. instead of
supporting our clean energy initiatives. Zero emission, run-of-the-river
power projects can assist us to reach our legislated goal of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by one third by 2020.
One common claim is that our government is giving away the province's
streams and rivers to independent power producers. The truth is that
people of B.C. continue to own these water resources now and in the
future, thanks to our legislation. If producers want to use the water in
streams and rivers they must apply for and receive water licenses, and
pay water rental fees that typically amount to millions of dollars over
the life of the project.
When any project applies for a water license and Crown land tenure the
application is made available to agencies, local government, First
Nations and special interest groups for feedback that's used in
permitting agencies when setting conditions for the approval. And once a
license expires a power producer would need to apply to the government
of the day to have the license renewed in order to keep operating.
So let me reassure you, each power proposal must meet stringent
environmental guidelines, it's a public process, and each project is
judged on an individual basis.
Critics have said the B.C. government is granting water licenses for as
many as 500 creeks and rivers. The truth is that between 2001 and 2007 a
total of 80 water licenses were approve for power purposes.
It's also wrongly stated that BC Hydro is banned from generating new
supplies of electricity. In fact, BC Hydro is now examining the
feasibility of the proposed 900 megawatt Site C dam on the Peace River
and is planning to expand electricity generation at both the Revelstoke
and Mica dams. Since 2001 over a billion dollars has been spent on
upgrades to various publicly-owned dams in B.C.
Some critics have alleged that because BC Hydro's purchasing renewable
energy from power producers it's paying more than current energy market
rates. In fact, electricity prices today reflect the costs of generating
electricity from new power plants. Building projects is far more
expensive today than it was decades ago, just as a house or a car today
is more expensive than in the sixties.
Other interesting new energy sources are being developed in our
government's energy plan. For example, the Vancouver Landfill Gas
Project captures methane at the city landfill in Delta, cools it,
compresses it and then transports it to a power generating facility,
reducing the harmful effects of methane gas in our atmosphere while
helping to keep the lights on in B.C.
In addition B.C. is looking to harness wind as a source of power. B.C.'s
first wind power projects are under construction and research is under
way regarding tidal and wave energy potential.
So I support efforts to help return B.C. to electricity
self-sufficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating
B.C. jobs.
Power producers are playing an important role in achieving this goal,
along with BC Hydro. So with your support on the energy conservation
side we can meet these objectives together.
Thanks for taking time to listen. I'm Joan McIntyre, MLA for West
Vancouver-Garibaldi.
ANNOUNCER: This has been Provincial Affairs, a series of pre-recorded
free time political broadcasts, presented by the CBC in conjunction with
the major political parties of British Columbia. | 
