The Upper Pit River has been saved! The threat of an independent power project destroying the habitat of five species of salmon, putting a transmission line through a Provincial park, among other things, has been quelled by the voices of many concerned citizens.
In fact, it was a very well organized campaign that brought people by bus to meetings scheduled in inaccessible places. It was unions fearing the for-profit sector taking over public resources. It was environmentalists distraught about what might happen to the fish, the bears, and the rest of the natural environment in and around the river. It was local municipal governments enraged that the Provincial powers-that-be had removed their right to decide with Bill C-30. It was people like you and me that don’t want to see a few people profit from an unnecessary power project.
BC Hydro can create plenty of cheap power for BC, but has been discouraged from making more by the “Liberal” government. They want to see more IPPs (Independant Power Projects) in all our rivers.
“BC Hydro customers can expect their electricity bills to escalate dramatically in coming years, thanks to the provincial government’s energy policy. It bans BC Hydro from developing new power generation, instead forcing the Crown Corporation to buy more and more energy from high-cost private developers — at prices far higher than those of other options.”
If you think this is a benign threat, if your mind conjures up a little turbine on the side of river bank, then you NEED to watch this video.
It brought me to tears.
You might