The auditorium at the Cranbrook campus of the College of the Rockies was packed last Thursday with people interested in finding out more about the BC Energy Plan as well as independent power projects in the Province.

Former BC Minister, radio personality and activist Rafe Mair was the keynote speaker at the 'Rivers at Risk' forum, a conference hosted by Wildsight, the BC Resident Hunters Association and the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE).

Never one to beat around the bush, Mair's message to the Cranbrook audience was clear: if we want to keep our water drinkable, fish in our rivers and power affordable, citizens of BC have to stand up now and urge their government to pass legislation that gets rid of the BC Energy Plan.

The main concern Mair and other speakers at the 'Rivers at Risk' forum had with the document is that under the pretense of promoting "green power", the BC Government is setting the framework to force BC Hydro to buy their power from independent power projects around the Province instead of developing more of its own resources.

At first glance, said Dave Quinn with Wildsight, these run-of-river projects seem like a good idea. They use the fast-flowing water carried by rivers and creeks to generate power instead of building massive dams.

Many of these projects, however, Quinn added, have an unacceptable impact on the environment, from the destruction of old-growth forest during the construction phase to the permanent alteration of the streams' ecosytems and a gradual privatization of BC's rivers and streams.

"It has been called a gold rush and it is," Mair stated. "It's also been called Saudia Arabia and it is." He cautions people to fight for keeping BC streams in public hands.ke a statement at the ballot box, Mair pointed out. "Do not vote for any candidate who does not pledge the continuation of public power," he demanded.

For East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett the discussion is far fetched and misinformed. "I question the underlying motives of the people who think this is a bad thing," he commented.

What the BC Energy Plan wants to achieve, he explained, is to have 90 percent of energy coming from "green" sources rather than being imported from other jurisdictions where power is generated in a less environmentally conscious way.

Bennett emphasized that run-of-river projects are very difficult to be approved and in no way are rights to the rivers sold to private interest. Instead, he pointed out, tenures are given to a piece of land beside a stream.

At the end of the day, Bennett said, the BC government want to make sure the province is self-sufficient when it comes to meeting the energy needs of the residents. He is also not convinced by the argument that power from independent power projects would inflate the rates for electricity in BC. The continued benefits from BC Hydro's "heritage assets" would prevent this from happening.

Bennett also stated that the Energy Plan places a great focus on conservation and the government is spending a lot of time and resources to help people save energy. "I think this is the right thing for BC to do and I have no concerns that we will do this right," Bennett said.

To find out more about the BC Energy Plan, check www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca. Information on the 'Rivers at Risk' forum is available at www.riversatrisk.com.