VIDEO: Former Premier on Site C Dam
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- Published on Thursday, 09 March 2017 12:15
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Fossil Fuel Industry Has Lobbied B.C. Government 22,000 Times Since 2010
The fossil fuel industry lobbied the B.C. government more than 22,000 times between April 2010 and October 2016, according to a report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives as part of the Corporate Mapping Project.
The report also found that 48 fossil fuel companies and associated industry groups have donated $5.2 million to B.C. political parties between 2008 and 2015 — 92 per cent of which has gone to the BC Liberals.
The analysis found seven of the top 10 political donors from the fossil fuel industry are also B.C.’s most active lobbyists. Read more.
Natural Gas Industry Donated Over $1 Million to BC Liberals Since 2013
The gas industry has donated more than $1 million to the BC Liberals since the last provincial election, according to a new analysis done by the Wilderness Committee.
The companies and industry groups are involved in extracting B.C.’s gas (via fracking) and building gas pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations.
"This industry receives billions of dollars in provincial tax breaks and subsidies from the very government they’re paying to elect,” Peter McCartney, climate campaigner at the Wilderness Committee, said in a press release. Read more.
B.C.’s Pipeline Spill Map Has Been Offline for Over Eight Months
Since January 1, 2017 there have been more than 50 accidental releases from pipelines and oil and gas facilities in Alberta. These spills and leaks, ranging from large to small, from hazardous to non-hazardous, happen almost every single day.
Don’t believe it? You can check it out for yourself via the Alberta Energy Regulator’s onlne incident reporting dashboard. That's where spills are documented and information about volume, location and response is made available to the public. In B.C., however, the provincial regulator’s pipeline incident reporting page has been offline for eight months (yes, you read that correctly). Read more.
VIDEO: Site C Dam an ‘Economic Disaster,’ Says Former Premier Mike Harcourt
In a sit-down video interview, former B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt told DeSmog Canada the Site C dam, proposed for the Peace River, is “a bad idea” and should be abandoned immediately.
“Site C is going to be a disaster economically, environmentally, culturally for First Nations and shouldn’t be built,” Harcourt said.
Site C, originally projected to cost B.C. ratepayers $5.5 billion, is now estimated to cost $9 billion. Harcourt said Site C follows a long history of hydro project cost overruns. “The average overage cost of dams worldwide over the last 70 years have averaged 90 per cent overage. So you can assume Site C is going to cost, probably, $15 billion to $17 billion dollars,” he said. Read more.
B.C.'s Biggest Wind Farm Just Came Online — But Future of Wind in Province Bleak
On wind-swept ridgelines, surrounded by pine-beetle ravaged forests, the massive turbines at B.C.’s largest wind power project have started turning.
The Meikle Wind project, built by Pattern Development, will increase wind power capacity in B.C. by more than one third — to almost 674 megawatts — and will be able to generate energy for up to 54,000 homes, according to Mike Garland, Pattern CEO.
The wind farm, 33 kilometres north of Tumbler Ridge, has a 25-year power purchase agreement with BC Hydro and benefits to the province include an expected $70-million in payments for property taxes, Crown lease payments, wind participation rent and community benefits over 25 years. Unfortunately, it may be the last project of it's kind for the province. Read more.
Canada’s Buildings Will Finally Be Built With Climate Change In Mind
There’s just no way around it: building codes are deeply boring documents.
The most recent National Building Code of Canada clocks in at 1,400 jargon-filled pages.
Despite being a snore fest, it’s on its way to becoming an incredibly important tool in preparing new buildings for the worst impacts of escalating climate change and extreme weather events, such as flooding, hail and rain.
That’s thanks to a brand-new $40 million federal government investment in the National Research Council, which is responsible for updating the building code every five years; the last one was released in 2015, meaning the next version will be released in 2020.r0
