Peace River North MLA Dan Davies believes the new NDP government is wasting money on a “fake” BC Utilities Commission review of the Site C dam.

A “fake” review of Site C? Really? It sounds like familiar rhetoric from south of the border, so perhaps it’s time for some additional fact checking.

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We would question the multiple reviews Mr. Davies refers to in an Aug. 3 Alaska Highway News article when the only one that should have happened, a BC Utilities Commission review, was outlawed by the former Liberal government. There were two previous rejections of Site C by the BCUC and BC Hydro in the past.

Perhaps Mr. Davies might explain to his constituents how and why the Site C project has moved from $6.8 billion to $8.8 billion in five short years, when BC Hydro has publicly stated time and again that unexpected cost increases, unpredicted circumstances, adverse weather, inflation, etc. had all been factored into their budget? Furthermore, BC Hydro claimed to have established a number of “contingency funds” to guarantee a stable budget. How many more Site C budget increases can we realistically expect by 2024, the date the dam is expected to become operational?

Here’s what the federal-provincial review panel under Dr. Harry Swain had to say in its most recent final report regarding Site C back in May 2014: “The Panel cannot conclude on the likely accuracy of Project costs and estimates because it does not have the information, time or resources.”

Here is the actual panel recommendation, referring to Site C costs: “If it is decided that the Project should proceed, a first step should be the referral of Project costs and hence unit energy cost and revenue requirements to the BC Utilities Commission for detailed examination.”

Was this a “fake” recommendation as well?

We understand Mr. Davies is a big supporter of the Site C project. But, the capital costs alone ($8.8 billion and counting) may well bankrupt BC Hydro. Then there are the continued electricity rate increases, which are now certain to continue for decades to come. Can we afford this?

A legitimate BC Utilities Commission review is indeed required, not fake and not kidding. The BCUC was always designed to be a second sober examination for a project of this magnitude. It’s time to give the BCUC an opportunity to re-examine all the numbers.

The former Liberal government shut down the Burrard Thermal natural gas plant in Port Coquitlam about one year ago. It used natural gas, something that Mr. Davies and these old guys should be advocating. It produced 800 megawatts of demand electrical power, (almost as much as a Site C), which could have continued to serve the people of this province effectively. It was one of the cleanest, cheapest methods for producing electricity.

Consider what the review panel had to say about using natural gas instead of building Site C, back in 2014. This comes from page 306 of its report: “Burning a small fraction of that methane (natural gas) for power in BC would have several advantages. Capacity could be added relatively quickly … with a lower overall contribution to the global greenhouse gas burden than if LNG were exported.”

That’s right; Swain and his panel saw that our own natural gas has a much smaller environmental footprint than exporting it. But here was the clincher: “The LNG developers have been promised a free hand (by the former government) to burn their gas here for their own purposes, but BC Hydro has been denied the same privilege.”

Strange, isn’t it, that our gas could have been a real consideration, but the panel was not allowed to pursue gas or any other viable energy options by decree from the former Liberal government in lieu of Site C ?

Mr. Davies says he lives seven kilometres from Site C and that he has worked on the site. Still, does this give him the appropriate qualifications to make a judgment call to claim that a BCUC review is not needed or that it would be “fake”?

Incidentally, about a year ago, one of these old guys wrote every member of the BC Liberal party a letter outlining why we could use our natural gas as a viable option for producing clean and cheap electricity here in B.C. without the need for a Site C mega project. They did not receive one response back. The silence speaks volumes.

Mike Kroecher is a long time retired resident of the Peace, expressing his deep roots in the land through his art. Rick Koechl is a recently retired teacher of the Peace with an enthusiasm for politics and energy.