BC government makes disastrous decision on Site C
by PVEA
December 16, 2014Fort St. John, BC – The Peace Valley Environment Association says that BC has just made the biggest mistake in its history by approving the highly controversial Site C dam.
Site C is the most expensive project ever considered by British Columbia. In the last week alone, the cost of the project jumped from $7.9 billion, to $8.5 billion and as of today, it is expected to be $8.775 billion.
There have also been concerns about how investment in a project of this magnitude might affect the province’s coveted triple A credit rating. With an existing provincial debt of $64 billion, launching an $8.775 billion project is concerning for British Columbians.
The World Dams Association states that dam projects worldwide, typically go into 56% cost overruns. BC Hydro has a track record of underestimating numerous large projects. With the construction period for Site C estimated at 8 years, it would be hard to imagine that the costs wouldn’t increase significantly.
The decision to proceed with Site C overrides the recommendations of the Joint Review Panel which stated that it could not conclude on the likely accuracy of the cost estimates of Site C. Further, the Panel concluded that there were uncertainties regarding BC Hydro’s long term energy demand forecasts and that an independent body, the BC Utilities Commission, should assess both these concerns in a public hearing.
Government has chosen to completely reject these key recommendations.
Since the conclusion of the hearings on Site C, Clean Energy BC as well as the Canadian Geothermal Association both provided the provincial governments with detailed information stating that alternative energy projects could better meet the needs of the province. Their information demonstrated a range of alternatives that were cost competitive and in some cases, less expensive than Site C.
Additionally, they pointed out that pursuing alternative power projects could provide more jobs across a variety of regions in the province. Further, the projects could be built on an as-needed basis, thus eliminating the risk of grossly overbuilding energy infrastructure as with Site C.
The decision to proceed also ignores the threat posed by 5 court cases which have been launched against the project. First Nations from both BC and Alberta as well as landowners in the Peace River Valley have launched cases against both the federal and provincial governments regarding their approval of the environmental certificates issued for Site C. Many in the legal community feel that these cases are very strong and will serve as important precedents for future environmental assessments.
If BC Hydro proceeds by signing contracts with companies to begin construction and the cases against the dam are won, then, once again, millions, if not billions of BC citizens’ tax dollars will be wasted as the work of the contracts is curtailed and they are compensated for the contracts that were guaranteed by BC Hydro.
At this time, it would make far more sense for BC to pause and develop an energy plan for the province.
There is no rush to build Site C. The Joint Review Panel stated that the power from Site C is not required on the timetable set forth. Given the monetary investment required, it is imperative we are certain we are making sound investment decisions when it comes to energy development. BC must develop an energy policy utilizing a non-partisan and public process.
There are far too many outstanding questions and concerns for us to feel positive and confident about proceeding with Site C. While our neighbours to the south are working on dismantling dams, British Columbia continues with this archaic, unnecessary development.
Approving Site C is the worst financial decision the province has ever made. It will leave us with a legacy of debt and destruction. Future generations will be shaking their heads in wonderment at the poor judgement of our government when, in time, they address the huge, costly mess that has been left for them to clean up.
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-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
Andrea Morison, MA
Coordinator, Peace Valley Environment Association
Fort St. John, BC
pveacoordinator@gmail.com
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