The Truth About Gordon Campbell and Private Power
The BC Liberals are again misrepresenting their record and the NDP position, in the face of widespread legitimate opposition to their giveaway of BC's river and waterways to private interests.
Here are the facts:
The BC Liberals have sold the water rights to 120 BC rivers and waterways. Over 550 water license applications are in process.
Even after their 30-40 year contracts end, private firms, not British Colombians, own the generating plants, retain first dibs on the rights of water, and are free to sell the power to the highest bidder, Canadian or American.
IPPs already are driving up hydro prices. Brian Wallace, legal counsel for the Joint Industry Electricity Steering Committee says BC Hydro customers could take a yearly hit of $400 million from the private power contracts.
The BC Liberals changed the rules to give private power developers a monopoly on run of the river projects. The BC Liberals prevented BC Hydro from competing with IPPS.
The BC Liberals passed a law to override local and municipal concerns and prevent local communities from using their legitimate zoning and environmental powers to remedy bad projects.
BC Liberals are selling our waterways to Liberal friends and insiders. IPPs have funneled huge donations to the Campbell Liberals. Firms like Brookfield, Plutonic Power are major donors to the Liberal party. According to Elections BC, Plutonic Power has been an active Liberal donor since May 2006, making 22 separate donations totaling $51,906. Between 2006 and 2007 Brookfield contributed $51,400. In total, private power producers have flooded the Campbell Liberals with over $800,000 in donations.
Private producers admit they've stacked their payrolls with BC Liberal Party insiders to give them the inside track with government officials. For example: Robert Poore, former executive assistant to Revenue Minister Rick Thorpe. And Tom Sayer, former policy co-ordination and issues management chief for Premier Gordon Campbell, are now at Plutonic Power
The NDP is calling for a moratorium pending a full review of the cumulative environmental impacts and anticipated supply and demand. Existing contracts will be honoured. Certain run of the river can make sense if the environment is protected, the local community or First Nation benefits from the project, and British Columbians retain ownership of the waterway.
Esteemed Canadian scientists Dr. Gordon F. Hartman and Otto Langer have vocalized major concerns about BC Liberals' private river power gold rush.
"It's green alright. Because green is the colour of money." - Dr. Gordon F. Hartman (Save our Rivers)
"In a broader environmental sense, we are very pleased with many parts of the NDP platform - including their protection of BC Hydro and keeping it public and protected, our best tool for fighting climate change." - Joe Foy, Western Canada Wilderness Committee [Public Eye Online, Apr. 13, 2009]