Media release
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy
www.greenenergybc.ca
May 5, 2009
Vancouver, B.C. — The claim that run-of-river power projects do not undergo sufficient environmental scrutiny is not only completely ridiculous, it’s also completely unsupportable says David Field of B.C. Citizens for Green Energy.
Field is reacting to the relentless wave of inaccurate claims and statements coming from opponents of independent green energy projects. Field says he feels compelled to challenge what he calls the “utter nonsense and destructiveness” of these inaccurate claims.
“The people who say run-of-river projects don’t receive enough environmental scrutiny don’t know what they’re talking about,” Field said. “They need to go back and do some homework because their claims don’t stand up to even the most basic facts.”
Field points to the long list of fish, wildlife and environmental protection legislation, regulations and standards, administered by a variety of different government ministries, departments and agencies (both Federal and Provincial), that all independent power projects—regardless of size or type—must comply with before any aspect of a project can move forward.
“There’s a great big stack of government legislation that green energy projects must comply with in order to proceed or they just don’t get built, plain and simple,” Field said. “Provincially you’ve got the Water Act, the Land Act, the Fish Protection Act, the Forest Act and the Wildlife Act, among others, and all of these come into play along with the federal Species at Risk Act, the Fisheries Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to name just a few.”
Field says the facts surrounding independent green energy projects aren’t difficult to find because the province’s Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB), the division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands charged with overseeing and adjudicating the application process, recently produced a 152 page guidebook which lays out the whole process for anyone cares to read it. The guidebook, entitled “Independent Power Production in B.C.: An Inter-agency Guidebook for Proponents,” is available online and it provides a complete overview of all the legislation involved and the various steps and requirements that need to be satisfied in order for a project to obtain the necessary permits and approvals (click here to view and download the ILMB guidebook).
“The standards and requirements for green energy projects are set very high and most projects don’t get approved. There’s an enormous attrition rate for these project proposals and that’s what makes them so risky for the proponents.” Field said. “Just because you file a water license application does not mean you’ll get approval for your project. If your project proposal doesn’t meet the standards set out in the legislation and the various regulations, it doesn’t get approved.”
A short Backgrounder appears at the bottom of this media release listing some of the key federal and provincial legislation and government ministries that impact on the application and approval process for independent power projects.
Additional information about green energy is available on the B.C. Citizens for Green Energy website at www.greenenergybc.ca and on the website’s myth busters page www.greenenergybc.ca/myths.html. Several short videos on the subject of green energy in B.C. are also posted on YouTube www.youtube.com/GreenEnergyBC and on the B.C. Citizens for Green Energy website at www.greenenergybc.ca.
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For more information contact David Field
Co-spokesperson, B.C. Citizens for Green Energy
604-529-1604
e-mail us at info@greenenergybc.ca
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy is an advocacy group representing a cross-section of British Columbians who encourage a legacy of clean, sustainable electricity for future generations.
www.greenenergybc.ca
Key provincial legislation impacting on green energy projects:
· The Fish Protection Act
· The Water Act
· The Water Protection Act
· The Land Act
· The Environmental Management Act
· The Wildlife Act
· The Environmental Assessment Act
· The Forest Act
· The Forest and Range Practices Act
· The Heritage Conservation Act
· The Industrial Roads Act
· The Local Government Act
· The Park Act
· The Transportation Act
· The Wildfire Act
Key federal legislation impacting on green energy projects:
· The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
· The Fisheries Act
· The Migratory Birds Convention Act
· The Navigable Waters Protection Act
· The Species at Risk Act
Key provincial ministries, departments and agencies charged with administering aspects of legislation impacting on green energy projects:
· Ministry of Environment—The Water Stewardship Division (WSD); The Environmental Stewardship Division (ESD); The ESD’s Fish and Wildlife Branch.
· Ministry of Agriculture and Lands—Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB)
· Ministry of Forests and Range
· Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
· Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
· Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
Key federal ministries, departments and agencies charged with administering aspects of legislation impacting on green energy projects:
· Fisheries and Oceans Canada
· Environment Canada
· Transport Canada
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