Re: “Dam economics to meet dam politics,” column, Aug. 3.

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Les Leyne failed to address two key points in his column about the economics of the Site C dam on the Peace River, and the B.C. Utilities Commission must address these points: 1) the poor payback of the project and, subsequently, 2) the cost to each of us in British Columbia through higher hydroelectric bills for years and possibly generations to come.

The significantly poor payback is estimated to be $1.6 billion over 20 years; that leaves us British Columbians with a debt of $7.2 billion out of the $8.8-billion project cost or more (project costs tend to escalate).

Why build Site C when you could close it down now and save everyone, government and hydro users, billions of dollars? A respected economist made this point a month ago on BNN and a past chair of the Joint Review Panel and former deputy minister of Industry Canada also made this point a year ago in the Vancouver Sun.

LNG and pipelines have not materialized as customers (and never were actually), demand in B.C. has declined and the Columbia dams can supply cheaper power if needed.

Let the utilities commission tell us: 1) the payback of Site C and 2) what our hydro rates will be if the proposed Site C were completed.

Stop Site C: Save billions.

Carol Hartwig

Duncan