hopefully there was more people there than the 30 or so they show in this pic.
Site C: Unfortunately 4 Billion Dollars already committed by Liberals was too much to ignore
Mon, 2016-01-25 12:40
#202
Mon, 2016-01-25 17:31
#203
Site C campers want meeting with Trudeau
Three days after BC Hydro filed an injunction to remove them, campers blocking Site C dam construction are asking for a meeting with the company's CEO, the premier and the prime minister.
A letter signed by three First Nations people involved in the Rocky Mountain Fort camp asks for a meeting "at a mutually agreeable and convenient location in Vancouver" in the "near future."
The letter, dated Jan. 21, is addressed to BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald, Premier Christy Clark and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It is signed by Helen Knott, Art Napoleon and Yvonne Tupper, who are part of a group calling itself Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land.
They want the senior officials to consider a three-point plan to end the impasse upstream of the Moberly River, where dam opponents have been camped for nearly a month.
They ask that land clearing be stopped "until court challenges initiated by First Nations and local landowners who are opposed to the project are finally determined." As well, they want Ottawa to suspend federal permits issued for dam construction pending "an expedited, open and transparent federal review" of the dam's "infringement" on treaty rights. Also on the wish list: a review of the dam by the B.C. Utilities Commission....
Mon, 2016-01-25 21:21
#204
welllllllll Christy Clark just gave notice today mining concerns in BC no longer have to pay their hydro bills
Fri, 2016-02-12 12:27
#205
Trudeau, Premier Clark Urged to Halt Site C Construction, Honour Relations with First Nations
A broad coalition of organizations from across Canada wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to halt construction of the Site C dam by refusing to issue federal permits needed for construction of the $9-billion project that will flood 23,000 hectares of land along 107-kilometres of the Peace River Valley.
A letter to Trudeau, signed by 25 organizations ranging from Amnesty International and the Council of Canadians to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the David Suzuki Foundation, asks that the new Liberal government live up to its promises of a new relationship with First Nations.
“Our organizations are profoundly concerned that construction of the Site C dam is being pushed ahead despite the conclusion of a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment that it would severely and permanently undermine indigenous peoples’ use of the land; harm rare plants and other biodiversity; make fishing unsafe for at least a generation and submerge burial grounds and other crucial cultural and historical sites,” an open letter released by the coalition says.
The letter urges Trudeau to rescind all permits and to re-examine the previous government’s approval of the dam, which was given despite Treaty 8 claims that it violated treaty rights.
“The people of Treaty 8 have said no to Site C. Any government that is truly committed to reconciliation with indigenous peoples, to respecting human rights and to promoting truly clean energy must listen,” the letter says....
Fri, 2016-02-12 17:20
#206
broad coalition of organizations from across Canada...
...thank you for this...but I may ask...what is Plan B if the Trudeau people refuse to act in compliance with the demands of Traety 8 People?
...I have asked them innumerable times, including BC Union to consider forging alliance with indigenous Peoples to move on their request...but silence!
International action to me is an important ingredient and very very effective!
Fri, 2016-02-12 17:27
#207
Construction unions want the work but yes by all means First Nations approval is required first.
Right now there are very few BCers working on this massive project
Fri, 2016-02-12 18:55
#208
Construction unions want the work but yes by all means First Nations approval is required first.
Right now there are very few BCers working on this massive project
..first nations are not going to agree..this is clear. they have court challenges in the works trying to prevent it from moving forward. they have differents designs for the land in conjuction with a whole lot of other people in the province and in the area itself. i would suggest the construction unions to press for other projects that are more sane than site c. that is the future not lng. do you agree northreport?
Sat, 2016-02-13 10:24
#209
broad coalition of organizations from across Canada...
...thank you for this...but I may ask...what is Plan B if the Trudeau people refuse to act in compliance with the demands of Traety 8 People?
...I have asked them innumerable times, including BC Union to consider forging alliance with indigenous Peoples to move on their request...but silence!
International action to me is an important ingredient and very very effective!
..there is no plan b as far as i know. people are flying by the seat of their pants. one piece i read a while back around the last scc ruling, if not respected this will cause all treaties across canada to be looked at by first peoples as not having any meaning at all. this is a strenght. they need a harper to drive that aggressive agenda and while it it could happen down the road that is not the case today.
eta: there is this. the fraser declaration is alive and growing.
B.C. union joins First Nations vowing to use law to fight pipelines
A union representing 65,000 workers in British Columbia has signed a declaration vowing to oppose pipelines from crossing the territories of more than 130 First Nations.
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has signed the Save the Fraser declaration, a document of indigenous law banning the Northern Gateway pipeline or similar projects from crossing the signatories' territories.
eta2: and this
Unions from 12 Countries Call for a Global Moratorium on Fracking
Thirty trade union bodies representing tens of millions of workers have issued a statement calling for a “global moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas, coal seam gas, and shale oil.” Among the thirty first-signers are national trade union centers from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Nepal, Peru and the Philippines; two Global Union Federations representing education and public service workers, and key unions in health care, energy and water utilities.
Unions are also among more than 1,000 organizations that have signed the Global Frackdown for Paris....
Sat, 2016-02-20 14:50
#210
BC Hydro is not waiting for the resolution of the outstanding legal issues that are still before the courts. The provincial utility has begun clear-cutting great swaths of the Peace Valley floor, destroying the unique plant and animal habitat that is at the heart of the First Nations legal challenge to the project. A small group of residents, calling themselves the Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land, have set up a camp at an historic site in the path of the logging. Their actions have at least temporarily stopped the logging, but the camp members are risking arrest for their action. Helen Knott, one of the Stewards of the Land, has said."...before the court cases are even heard, BC Hydro is destroying the very valley that these court cases are intended to protect. The way I see it, they are stealing from future generations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. We are not here just for us but for the ones that will come after us."
Sun, 2016-02-21 15:56
#211
Ex-Hydro CEO: Injunction vs. Site C campers “Fundamentally flawed”
Former BC Hydro CEO Marc Eliesen says BC Hydro’s claim that a one-year delay in Site C dam construction will add $420 million to the project’s $8.8 billion cost is “effectively illusionary” and based on “fundamentally flawed” analysis.
Eliesen made the statement in an affidavit filed February 16 in the B.C. Supreme Court, in response to BC Hydro’s application for an injunction to remove Peace Valley farmers and First Nations members from a camp they have occupied since New Year’s Eve.
quote:
The peaceful camp, at the Rocky Mountain Fort site on the Peace River’s south bank, has prevented clearcut logging of the surrounding old-growth forest in preparation for Site C flooding. Court documents filed by BC Hydro say the area around the fort site must be cleared immediately because it is slated for a “potentially acid-generating” waste rock dump. The documents note that a berm will be constructed to prevent waste from entering the Peace River.
In his affidavit, Eliesen, who has also headed Ontario Hydro and the Manitoba Energy Authority, says BC Hydro’s testimony in support of the injunction application “fails to provide the proper and comprehensive historical context of BC Hydro’s determinations regarding this project” and is “without merit.”
Mon, 2016-02-22 14:11
#212
Good morning Ira. BC Hydro is in court this morning seeking a permanent injunction against the peaceful Rocky Mountain Fort Camp. Please read the following news release and distribute it through your respective networks. Thank you! --
NEWS RELEASE
February 22, 2016
David Suzuki and Grand Chief Phillip Stand with Rocky Mountain Fort Camp in Opposition to Site C at BC Hydro Injunction Hearing....from UBCIC....
...my question as ever...what is plan B?
Does UBCIC et al think the Courts of BC are going to deny the injunction to BC Hydro?
...sure miracles are possible...but in BC´s totally corrupt Court system?
No international action is called for! No alternative!
Tue, 2016-02-23 19:06
#213
Good morning Ira. BC Hydro is in court this morning seeking a permanent injunction against the peaceful Rocky Mountain Fort Camp. Please read the following news release and distribute it through your respective networks. Thank you! --
NEWS RELEASE
February 22, 2016David Suzuki and Grand Chief Phillip Stand with Rocky Mountain Fort Camp in Opposition to Site C at BC Hydro Injunction Hearing....from UBCIC....
...my question as ever...what is plan B?
Does UBCIC et al think the Courts of BC are going to deny the injunction to BC Hydro?
...sure miracles are possible...but in BC´s totally corrupt Court system?
No international action is called for! No alternative!
..the occupation at the fort camp is to try and delay so that the court challenges to site c can be heard by the supreme court. there are no expectations the the bc courts will rule in favour of the occupiers. ubcic and suzuki are speaking out to add pressure to the bc courts and to try and encourage others to speak out.
Tue, 2016-02-23 19:08
#214
5 Seriously Disturbing B.C. Political Donations
quote:
1) Let's start with the $40,950 that accounting firm KPMG gave to the BC Liberals in 2014. KPMG is the company BC Hydro hired to "independently review" the costs of the $8.8-billion Site C dam. The B.C. government has pointed to the KPMG report to defend its decision to ignore an expert recommendation to send the project to the B.C. Utilities Commission for review.
Since 2005, KPMG and its related companies have given $284,994 to the BC Liberals and $13,150 to the NDP.
2) In the words of IntegrityBC's Dermod Travis "the 2014 Award for Incredibly Bad Taste in Donations goes to Imperial Metals, owners of the Mount Polley mine."
The mining company donated $7,150 to the Liberals, including a $1,500 cheque in October and another for $250 in November, in the months following the company's enormous Mount Polley tailings dam failure.
"The spill may have been toxic, but Imperial's cash wasn't," Travis quipped.
3) Oil and gas transportation companies got in on the action, too, with Kinder Morgan ($4,500), TransCanada Pipelines ($5,600), Coastal GasLink Pipeline ($12,500) and Enbridge Northern Gateway ($13,450) all filling up the Liberal's bank account.
Woodfibre LNG, which is proposing a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Howe Sound, gave $28,000 to the Liberals and $8,000 to the B.C. NDP. Woodfibre also spent more than $18,000 on newspaper and radio ads in Squamish during the November 2014 local election.
Tue, 2016-03-01 18:25
#215
Tue, 2016-03-01 18:37
#216
http://www.straight.com/news/643076/ndp-environment-critic-nathan-cullen...
The Trudeau government has promised a new relationship with Canada's indigenous peoples, but according to the NDP's environment critic, it's the same-old story with respect to the proposed Site C dam.
Today in Parliament, Skeena–Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen asked why Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo is still signing permits even though this "megadam" on the Peace River "would have irreversible and negative impacts on the rights of Treaty 8 people".
"When is the Liberal government going to actually commit to its sacred policy to respect First Nations rights?" Cullen asked.
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr fielded the question without once mentioning the word "Site C dam".
Wed, 2016-03-02 15:10
#217
BC Hydro won the injunction for the protestors to leave the site they were occupying to stop the clear cuts yesterday i think it was.
Thu, 2016-03-03 15:36
#218
Site C protesters end blockade
Site C protesters who've been stalling dam construction in northern B.C. say they're packing up and ending their two-month land occupation so they won't be arrested.
Reached this afternoon at their remote Rocky Mountain Fort protest camp, Site C opponents told CBC News they are obeying Monday's B.C. Supreme Court order requiring them to leave the area and allow site-clearing work by BC Hydro contractors to proceed, southwest of Fort St John.
"At this time, none of us are going to be arrested, because we are law abiding citizens," said local farmer Arlene Boon, who has been camping in the snow at the protest site for 32 days....
Fri, 2016-03-04 09:49
#219
"It was pretty difficult to sit in that courtroom and hear the judge, when he was offering up his reasons for judgment, say repeatedly that the Treaty 8 stewards of the land had no legal right or standing to be doing what they were doing," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs to rabble. "We know otherwise -- they were standing on their treaty rights."
...from rabble
Surely this decision must be taken to International Court (ILO and OAS!)....why didn`t Grand Chief Phillip mention their international indigenous rights...surely he and they knew the BC Courts never will recognize International and indigenous rights in their courtrooms
Fri, 2016-03-04 10:02
#220
Supporters of Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land Camp daily hunger strike after the northern camp was dismantled by the RCMP. Please show your support by attending the BC Hydro building. Not everyone is expected to hunger strike!
Beginning on Thursday, we invite everyone to gather daily from 8am to 5pm with the intention of shaming BC Hydro, who are violating treaty 8 rights and preparing to decimate vital agricultural lands in the Peace Valley.
"The hunger strike was called immediately following the aggressive RCMP attendance at the Site C/Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land Camp on Tuesday, March 1st, 2016....
Fri, 2016-03-04 11:23
#221
"It was pretty difficult to sit in that courtroom and hear the judge, when he was offering up his reasons for judgment, say repeatedly that the Treaty 8 stewards of the land had no legal right or standing to be doing what they were doing," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs to rabble. "We know otherwise -- they were standing on their treaty rights."
...from rabble
Surely this decision must be taken to International Court (ILO and OAS!)....why didn`t Grand Chief Phillip mention their international indigenous rights...surely he and they knew the BC Courts never will recognize International and indigenous rights in their courtrooms
..please make your case for the international court path. i look around at the global state of indigenous folk and it makes me weep. the international court is not protecting them. the court path requires resources, human and otherwise. it's about chosing a tactic.
Fri, 2016-03-04 13:11
#222
the international court is not protecting them. the court path requires resources, human and otherwise....
...I beg to differ on both counts...read the decisions say e.g of the Human Rights Tribunal of the OAS respecting indigenous rights, rights to consultation and consent...and though the courts both the OAS and ILO responsible to uphold the International Indigenous Rights Charters do of course require human resources, there are no outrageous costs as in the Canadian Courts...
I would proceed to do more analysis and investigations...but until there is some Indigenous Canadian body prepared to consider such tactics, I of course won`t do anything!
Likewise in terms of international indigenous support...here in Guatemala, the indigenous Peoples are again preparing to shut down the country, rid themselves of the new government and are preparing to set up a plurinational State.
They would consider supporting the Canadian Indigenous, if there was in fact interest on the latter`s part. They have done so in the past with great success. And I would submit that the Canadian foreign affairs people would be in panic, if they chose to do so again!
Fri, 2016-03-04 16:58
#223
the international court is not protecting them. the court path requires resources, human and otherwise....
...I beg to differ on both counts...read the decisions say e.g of the Human Rights Tribunal of the OAS respecting indigenous rights, rights to consultation and consent...and though the courts both the OAS and ILO responsible to uphold the International Indigenous Rights Charters do of course require human resources, there are no outrageous costs as in the Canadian Courts...
I would proceed to do more analysis and investigations...but until there is some Indigenous Canadian body prepared to consider such tactics, I of course won`t do anything!
Likewise in terms of international indigenous support...here in Guatemala, the indigenous Peoples are again preparing to shut down the country, rid themselves of the new government and are preparing to set up a plurinational State.They would consider supporting the Canadian Indigenous, if there was in fact interest on the latter`s part. They have done so in the past with great success. And I would submit that the Canadian foreign affairs people would be in panic, if they chose to do so again!
..i was wrong to say it doesn't protect. i am aware of the human rights tribunal re indigenous rights. while most countries have signed on this has not led to automatic implementation even in countries that agreed to it ie: brazil. nor has the scc decisions on land, rights and consultation become practice other than superficial posturing by governments and corporations here in canada.
Sat, 2016-03-05 10:40
#224
while most countries have signed on this has not led to automatic implementation even in countries that agreed to it ...
...Yes agreed...utilizing these Courts only has the effect of discreditting Canada internally and in the Americas of course.....
A legal decision re Canada`s violations can challenge any political complicity, while externally, paves the way for potential international actions against Canada, whether at official levels or from the grass roots!
Above all it may lend serious support to the necessary building of international indigenous grass roots alliance!
Sun, 2016-03-06 10:10
#225
Site C contractor Petrowest confident of debt restructure
Petrowest Corp., a partner in the conglomerate contracted to build the Site C dam, is confident it will be able to restructure its debt within a new deadline set by lenders.
Creditors have granted the company until the end of the month to amend its existing credit agreements, an extension of the original Feb. 29 deadline.
"They (the banks) obviously want to work with us," Petrowest VP Investor Relations Nikolaus Kiefer told the Alaska Highway News. "We're the one positive story coming out of Calgary these days, sadly, with the commodity prices."
The company is working to restructure debt accrued in the 12 months leading up to the award of the Site C contract, the largest in the company's history....
Sun, 2016-03-06 10:19
#226
Thanks for this....obviously there´s a lot more to this Site C then the supposed benefits to the public of BC!
The financials are in deep trouble.....the dominos may fall if this project doesn´t go through...who are the banking interests behind this and how exposed are they in this period of growing illiquidity?
What comes to mind here, is the need to hold a provincial gathering of allies to plan strategy to stop this, perhaps the achilles heal of the elites in BC...
Sun, 2016-03-06 15:47
#227
..from amnesty international. a petition with video
Sun, 2016-03-06 18:55
#228
The collapse of the US energy junk bond market is spreading like a cancerous metastasis to the entire US junk bond market that includes borrowers like Toys R’ Us to high-tech IT borrowers. US companies have a total of $1.32 trillion in junk debt maturing between now and 2020, according to Standard & Poor’s. That includes $92.3 billion coming due this year, followed by $160.9 billion in 2017 and $272.5 billion in 2018, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal of February 21.
http://journal-neo.org/2016/03/06/behind-the-facade-america-the-bankrupt-hegemon/
....The company (Petrowest) is working to restructure debt accrued in the 12 months leading up to the award of the Site C contract, the largest in the company's history....
...which means what.....higher interest rates? demands on derivative trade securities? and at higher interest rates?
Which means higher costs for the energy, if the project is to be built?
Sat, 2016-03-12 14:17
#229
Bennett admits 'legitimate criticisms' of Site C land transfers
Bill Bennett says there are "legitimate criticisms" of the way the B.C. government has handled land transfers to First Nations impacted by the Site C dam, but those negotiations are ultimately "government-to-government."
Local hunters and anglers worry the quiet offers of Crown parcels—made to compensate First Nations for land lost to the $8.8 billion hydroelectric project—will cut off access to popular wilderness areas.
Bennett, the energy minister, said that while he understands those concerns, negotiations with First Nations must continue to be confidential.
"The Supreme Court of Canada and our Constitution make it clear: it's two governments sitting down to have a negotiation, a discussion," he told Alaska Highway News. "It's a government-to-government negotiation."
"There are people who don't like that, and I get that and respect everybody's point of view, but the fact of the matter is it's a government-to-government negotiation."
Sun, 2016-03-13 17:32
#230
The women's tent city going up in front of BC Hydro, Vancouver
Sun, 2016-03-13 18:36
#231
how much and how often is this going to make the news? imv after today's news nothing.
what have other hunger strikes done? don't get me wrong any type of protest is better than none. but imv risking your health to try and get the masses behind you is dangerous to self.
i don't know what kinda motivator we need to get people like myself out, but a hunger strike isn't going to do it for me.
i'd rather join to shut down the whole area and get arrested for breaking the injunction.
Sun, 2016-03-13 19:59
#232
..it's a tactic to attract the media i believe. i particulally like the setting up of a tent city in front of bc hydro. everyday the execs and employees have to look at it. maybe this will encourage info leaks to happen. wouldn't that scare the hell out of hydro. this can be more powerful than you think quizzical.
Sun, 2016-03-13 22:48
#233
didn't make the news here yet.
Mon, 2016-03-14 19:16
#234
..that may be so quizzical but their message did get out not only beyond bc but canada.
Court Order Fails to Halt Protests Over $9bn Canadian Dam Project
Indigenous women and Treaty 8 First Nations are spearheading the fight against BC Hydro's Site C mega-dam, which is being aggressively pushed by province
Sun, 2016-03-20 15:54
#235
Day 6! Kristin is standing strong but "loosing a bit of mental clarity and feeling it in the joints." But spirits are high! music is plentiful, the camp is growing, and we're happy to see media attention is picking up and the increasing public engagement. silence from upstairs. #fucksitec #sitec #nositec #solidarity
Sat, 2016-03-26 14:34
#236
Uruguay is also moving away from hydroelectricity, as well as fossil fuels. Instead, its now investing in wind, solar and biomass, resulting in renewables providing 94.5% of its electrical energy and 55% of all its energy needs.
In less than 10 years, Uruguay has slashed its carbon footprint without government subsidies or higher consumer costs, according to the country’s head of climate change policy, Ramón Méndez.
In fact, he says that now that renewables provide 94.5% of the country’s electricity, prices are lower than in the past relative to inflation. There are also fewer power cuts because a diverse energy mix means greater resilience to droughts.
It was a very different story just 15 years ago. Back at the turn of the century oil accounted for 27% of Uruguay’s imports and a new pipeline was just about to begin supplying gas from Argentina. ...
Now the biggest item on import balance sheet is wind turbines, which fill the country’s ports on their way to installation.
Biomass and solar power have also been ramped up. Adding to existing hydropower, this means that renewables now account for 55% of the country’s overall energy mix (including transport fuel) compared with a global average share of 12%. ...
There are no technological miracles involved, nuclear power is entirely absent from the mix, and no new hydroelectric power has been added for more than two decades.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramati...
Sat, 2016-03-26 14:46
#237
China is also focusing on meeting its growth in energy investment with a large focus on energy from sources other than fossil fuels or hydro.
Clean energy investment rose for the first time in three years in 2014, overcoming a slump in oil prices that unsettled the outlook for the industry.
New funds for wind, solar, biofuels and other low-carbon energy technologies gained 16 percent to $310 billion last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-09/clean-energy-investmen...
Sat, 2016-03-26 14:54
#238
Denmark and Ireland are also moving towards using wind as a major source of energy instead of hydro or fossil fuels.
Denmark set a new world record for wind production in 2014, getting 39.1 percent of its overall electricity from the clean energy source.
The latest figures put the country well on track to meet its 2020 goal of getting 50 percent of its power from renewables.
Denmark has long been a pioneer in wind power, having installed its first turbines in the mid-1970s, and has even more ambitious aims in sight, including a 100 percent renewable country by 2050.
Last year, onshore wind was also declared the cheapest form of energy in the country. ...
Ireland hits new record for wind energy
Windy conditions in Ireland meant the country saw not one but two wind energy records set already this year.
According to figures record by EirGrid on Wednesday (Jan. 7), wind energy had created 1,942 MW of energy, enough to power more than 1.26 million homes.
And while we are still only a week into 2015, this announcement marked the second time this year the country has seen this record broken. On the Jan. 1, wind energy output was at a previous high of 1,872 MW.
http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/09/countries-leading-way-renewable-energy/
Sat, 2016-03-26 14:55
#239
Another example of the movement away from fossi fuels to renewable energy other than hydro comes from the Carribean island of Bonaire.
Like many Caribbean islands, Bonaire originally relied on diesel fuel to generate electricity for residents, with a peak demand of 11 megawatts (MW). This fuel had to be shipped in from other nations, resulting in high electricity prices for Bonaire residents, along with uncertainty about when and how much prices might increase with changing fuel costs.
In 2004, everything changed when a fire destroyed the existing diesel power plant. Although tragic, the situation provided an opportunity for Bonaire to consider what kind of new electricity system to build. ...
Bonaire’s Electricity System Transformation
The result is a transformed electricity system on Bonaire. The island is now home to 12 wind turbines with a total of 11 MW of wind power capacity, which contribute up to 90 percent of the island’s electricity at times of peak wind, and 40-45 percent of its annual electricity on average.
http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/07/bonaire-goodbye-diesel-hello-renewable-en...
Sat, 2016-03-26 15:07
#240
Scotland is already producing 98% of its electricity from wind power and plans to be export electricity by 2020, as well as be 100% fossil fuel free by 2030. Meanwhile BC continues to move against global trends in planning to develop both hydro and LNG.
Scotland stated that wind power generated enough power to supply electricity to 98 percent of Scotland’s households in 2014.
Scotland has even bigger plans for the future — and according to a new study, these plans can be met and even exceeded. Scotland hopes to generate the equivalent of 100 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020 and to export non-renewable production from conventional power plants to countries like England. A new report from consultancy firm DNV-GL has found that the country could be fossil fuel-free by 2030, meaning it could do away with any fossil fuel generation, even the exported amount.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/05/3607904/wind-power-surges-in...
Sun, 2016-03-27 17:08
#241
The BC Liberals like to claim that Site C is okay because it is renewable green energy, but when it comes to renewable energy the rest of the world is not only moving away from Christy's other fantasy of a trillion dollar LNG economy, they are mostly moving away from hydroelectricity.
In January 2015 the United States produced 90% of new electrical energy from renewable sources with only 10% coming from natural gas and none from hydroelectricity (water in the article).
Based on data from FERC and educated “other solar” (essentially rooftop solar) estimates from CleanTechnica, we’ve found that 90% of new electricity generation capacity added in the United States in January 2015 came from renewable energy sources. To be more precise, 90% came from solar and wind energy.
The largest source of new capacity came from wind energy (54.7%), rooftop solar was second (26.7%), natural gas was third (10.5%), and utility-scale solar PV brought the rest (8.1%).
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/10/renewable-energy-90-of-new-us-electr...
Other countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, are turning overwhelmingly toward wind and solar power instead of hydro and fossil fuels.
The United Kingdom blew past previous wind power records in 2014 while Germany generated a record amount of electricity from wind in December, setting the stage for 2015 to bring more industry growth across Europe. Exactly how quickly it grows, however, is contingent upon several political and regulatory decisions to come.
Using statistics from the U.K.’s National Grid, the trade association RenewableUK found that wind generated enough electricity to power just over 25 percent of U.K. homes in 2014 — a 15 percent increase from 2013. Wind turbines provided 9.3 percent of the U.K’s total electricity supply last year, a 1.5 percent boost from 2013. ...
In December, Germany generated more wind power, 8.9 terawatt-hours, than in any previous month. According to the IWR renewable energy research institute, this record will be overtaken in 2015 as more offshore wind farms come online.
After strong wind power months in October and November, Scotland also set a monthly generation record in December. WWF Scotland stated that wind power generated enough power to supply electricity to 98 percent of Scotland’s households in 2014.
Scotland has even bigger plans for the future — and according to a new study, these plans can be met and even exceeded. Scotland hopes to generate the equivalent of 100 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020 and to export non-renewable production from conventional power plants to countries like England.
Across Europe, 2015 will also be a big year for renewable energy policy. Late last year the bloc released plans to legally require member countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below their 1990 levels by 2030. ...
According to two consulting firms, the E.U. renewables market will add 8.7 GW of wind and 10.7 GW of solar this year.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/05/3607904/wind-power-surges-in...
Tue, 2016-03-29 16:00
#242
..from the province finally!
15 days and counting: Site C hunger striker feeling 'pretty good, just really tired'
Standing on the doorstep of B.C. Hydro's head office, a protester said Sunday she was tired and hungry, but in good spirits as she headed into the third week of a hunger strike.
For the last 15 days, Kristin Henry has lived and slept in an encampment outside the power utility's corporate offices in downtown Vancouver, with about six other activists, there to protest Site C, the $8.8-billion hydroelectric project in northern B.C.
Henry, 24, hasn't eaten solid food since March 13, she said Sunday in an interview outside the tents grouped in the plaza near the intersection of Dunsmuir and Homer. Over the last two weeks, she has consumed only tea, water, and a once-a-day bowl of veggie broth with an iron supplement, she said.
quote:
Last week, MLA Andrew Weaver, the leader of the B.C. Green Party, visited the tent city and sat down for a meeting with Henry. Weaver later posted on his website, writing that Henry's "efforts have had a profound impact on me."
Reached Sunday afternoon, Weaver said: "I am inspired by her ... This is why I got into politics."
"Good on Kristin for her passion. Obviously I hope at some point, people start listening," he said.
Weaver, an outspoken critic of Site C, wrote on his website last week about the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry envisioned for northern B.C. driving demand for power to be produced by Site C.
Fri, 2016-04-01 09:23
#243
Kristin has been taken to hospital on day 19. Her heart rate dropped to concerning levels. An ambulance was called and she is now at St. Paul's.
Fri, 2016-04-01 10:00
#244
how much and how often is this going to make the news? imv after today's news nothing.what have other hunger strikes done? don't get me wrong any type of protest is better than none. but imv risking your health to try and get the masses behind you is dangerous to self.
i don't know what kinda motivator we need to get people like myself out, but a hunger strike isn't going to do it for me.
i'd rather join to shut down the whole area and get arrested for breaking the injunction.
as i said epaulo, very little news hardly anyone in BC even knows about it and now her own health suffers
Sat, 2016-04-02 12:33
#245
Site C hunger-striker condemns Christy Clark hours before hospitalization
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark "will have blood on her hands" if she continues to move forward with the Site C Dam, said protester Kristin Henry on the 19th day of her hunger strike against the controversial hydroelectric project.
She uttered the words only hours before her hospitalization late Thursday evening, when the 24-year-old's heart rate dropped to "concerning levels," according to her protest's Facebook page. Henry has survived only on water, tea, and vegetable broth since March 13. She admitted to feeling exhausted, dizzy, and light-headed, speaking with National Observer earlier that day.
quote:
“It’s a horrible project and Christy Clark said it herself — she’s trying to get it 'past the point of no return,'" Henry explained. “I think it’s pretty disgusting that they’re doing irreversible damage to Treaty 8 territory while the legality is still being challenged."
quote:
Beseeching the prime minister
The B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council (BC Building Trades) has already filed a lawsuit against BC Hydro for terms in the provincial Crown corporation's request for proposals that prevent union members from striking during the construction of the Site C dam or recruiting other non-union members into unions.
The Blueberry River First Nations has also launched a court case against the province, alleging its Treaty 8 rights have been violated by decades of development on the territory. The lawsuit could impact construction of the dam as well as the expansion of mineral, oil and gas extraction in the province’s north.
A breach of Indigenous rights should be enough to put the project to rest, said Henry, whose group of out protesters have now appealed to the federal government for help.
"This is a matter of human rights and it is time the Government of Canada afforded Treaty 8 First Nations the same human rights afforded to the rest of its citizens," reads an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau that has been sent to his office more than 1,000 times by protesters across the country. "Mr. Trudeau, will you keep your promise?"
Sat, 2016-04-02 12:35
#246
..i don't think anyone want's harm to come to this young woman. certainly not me. in the end though it is her choice and that has to be respected. as i see it this isn't over and the camp will continue. and kristin will be back on hunger strike or not. the globe just reported on it yesterday.
..quizzical has the blue berry river first nations lawsuit been heard yet? i don't think so but i might have missed the ruling. answer: no it hasn't been heard
Tue, 2016-04-05 19:58
#247
Tue, 2016-04-05 20:19
#248
Site C protesters occupy provincial courthouse
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Showing solidarity for the Peace Valley Landowners Association, who is in the B.C. Supreme Court of Appeal this week, protesters of the $9-billion Site C hydroelectric dam project have gathered at Fort St. John’s Provincial Courthouse.
President of the PVLA Ken Boon was in the Court of Appeal yesterday, and BC Hydro is set to present their arguments today.
Shelly Ouellette says there will be demonstrations across B.C., including in Terrace, Prince Rupert, and likely in Haida Gwaii.
“The British Columbia Utilities Commission was created solely to protect ratepayers from unnecessary projects from BC Hydro,” Ouellette said. “BC Hydro and the B.C. Government circumvented that process.”
Tue, 2016-04-05 20:20
#249
Tue, 2016-04-05 20:25
#250
..from the globe and mail
Woman’s hunger strike draws attention to Site C dam project protest
quote:
She has said she wants to return to the front lines, but she was still in hospital on Friday, when Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, showed up at the protest site outside the BC Hydro building in downtown Vancouver.
Sage Birley, a supporter of the protest, said Ms. Henry was sorry to miss Ms. May’s visit, but “was pretty frustrated and a little shaken up” by the sudden decline of health that sent her to hospital.
She was frustrated because, after nearly three weeks, the protest had not caused any political movement on the issue, and shaken because facing your own mortality is frightening – especially when you are in your 20s and just starting out in life.
Thu, 2016-04-07 12:20
#251
First Nations challenge Site C water licences
A fifth legal challenge against the $8.8-billion Site C dam is brewing with West Moberly First Nations and Prophet River First Nation’s move to appeal the main water licences for Site C with the Environmental Appeal Board.
The licences, issued Feb. 26, authorize the diversion and storage of water, which includes the creation of an 83-kilometre reservoir.
“We (Treaty 8 First Nations) currently have three court cases going on. Possibly four, now ... we filed an injunction on the issuance of the water licences that the province issued here just recently,” West Moberly Chief Roland Willson told the Alaska Highway News.....