Write Wild - Site C: No Dam Way

Site C is a massive dam project slated to destroy part of the Peace River valley, an area still feeling the environmental and social consequences of two massive dams. It threatens 5,000 acres of prime agricultural land, undermining BC's food security, and will impact two endangered caribou herds and an important flyway for 70 species of birds and waterfowl (including endangered species.) It is opposed by local environmentalists, First Nations and local citizens.

Power from Site C would be used to back up river diversion power from across BC, acting as a subsidy for government donors in the private power industry and putting BC rivers at further risk. It could also be used to power natural gas fields that feed the energy needs of the tar sands.

This project is currently going through an a joint panel review assessment process. It is a process that will ignore regional land use issues, and the larger picture of energy use in the province.

Please write a letter to Premier Clark and Energy and Mines Minister Rich Coleman today, and ask them to stop all plans to squander billions of public dollars on the environmentally destructive Site C project.

Your Name: *

Your Email Address: *

Some points to consider:

The first priority for BC Hydro should be to promote conservation of existing power sources before we flood any more valleys. BC Hydro documents like the Marbeck report show that we have an enormous amount of energy conservation potential that we are not reaching.
Site C would flood over 5,000 acres of high quality Class One and Two agricultural land. It will impact wildlife migration corridors for caribou and 70 types of birds, in an area where wildlife already face substantial pressure from mining, forestry and oil and gas projects.
First Nations in the area have not been adequately consulted, and strong community opposition is being ignored.
Site C would emit 147,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, making it one of the top 25 industrial CO2 emission sources in BC and making it more difficult to meet our targets for fighting climate change. It would take almost 40 years for the Dam to pay off its “carbon footprint.”
The B.C. government wants to add an $8-billion project to the provincial books to generate power we don’t need, and to destroy a valley we can’t replace. BC Hydro is already on shakey ground - the added debts will passed on to rate payers.
Residential energy use has declined over the last ten years. It is clear that the development of the Site C Dam is about providing cheap energy to dirty industry, such a fracking, coal mining, and liquefied natural gas.

My Letter: *

Submitted by sven on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 18:43