To the editor:
I would like to respond to a recent article by Tom Fletcher: B.C. VIEWS: LNG won’t bring John Horgan’s NDP down (Jan. 25).
According to recent statements by Premier Horgan, BC Hydro’s $10 billion Site C dam is needed to provide power for natural gas development in NE BC.
Our hydro rates will go up significantly to pay for this expensive dam so that the B.C. government can provide cheap, subsidized electricity for the LNG industry.
Most of the natural gas will need to be fracked, which pollutes fresh water.
The other stated reason for Site C is to provide backup capacity for the intermittent power from independent power plants (IPPs) in B.C., for which BC Hydro is on the hook for over $50 billion.
80 km of the Peace River is to be flooded for no good reason. None of this is good for BC Hydro ratepayers, or for B.C. in general.
Also in the news is the issue of the major contractor on the Site C project, Aecon, being purchased by a Chinese state-owned corporation. Also not good.
Hugh Thomas
100 Mile House