Our Rivers at Risk
BC's rivers and streams have incalculable value. Our rivers are a vital source of fresh water, irrigation, drainage and recreation. They provide essential habitat for salmon, grizzly bears, tiger salamanders and a host of other species.
But now our precious rivers and streams are under threat.
In 2002 the provincial government banned BC Hydro from developing new sources of green power - decreeing that all new hydropower must come from the private sector. This has led to a gold rush mentality, with private corporations staking over 500 creeks and rivers across BC for Private Power Projects also know as Independent Power Projects, or IPPs. IPPs leave the control of one our most vital natural resources, clean hydroelectricity, in the hands of for-profit operators.
The burden of numerous private power projects on the landscape means they cannot truly be called green power. A typical project requires river diversion, dams, logging, powerhouses, and many kilometers of roads and transmission lines. Astoundingly, the government approaches each project as a "one-off," not assessing the cumulative impact of multiple projects on the landscape. For instance, the Sea-to-Sky corridor could see 60 private power projects developed between Horseshoe Bay and Pemberton.
Construction of a private power project in the Ashlu River
near Squamish
There are few legal protections for our rivers and streams, and those that exist are weak. BC has no stand-alone endangered species legislation, and the environmental assessment process in British Columbia offers is very weak. The BC Environmental Assessment Office has never rejected a project in the ten years it has been in operation. Additionally, the environmental assessment process is not applied to projects under 50 Megawatts in size, resulting in many IPPs being built at 49 megawatts to avoid even minimal scrutiny.
The BC public will have to bear much higher costs as a result of these private power operators. IPP operators sign 20-40 year contracts with BC Hydro, locking us in to pay IPP power rates significantly above BC Hydro's current costs. Once these contracts run out, the private operator can sell electricity to the highest bidder, which could result in BC bidding against California for power produced by our own rivers and streams.
Clean green energy is the way of the future, but it must be done correctly. To ensure the best benefit for the public and our energy security, power must remain in the hands of the public. Our rivers and streams must be protected, and any development must have proper environmental oversight and accountability. We can't let BC be sold down the river.
