By ARCHIE MCLEAN, Edmonton Journal, April 21, 2010
Alberta will seek intervener status in the approval process for a massive B.C. hydroelectric dam on the Peace River.
Environment Minister Rob Renner said the province isn't necessarily opposed to the $6.6-billion Site C dam, but needs assurance that it won't pose problems for Albertans downstream.
"Any time that you get involved in putting a dam in place, you affect the stream flows," Renner said Tuesday. "Our role during the regulatory process will be to ensure that there is sufficient mitigation in place to ensure that downstream Albertans from this dam are not affected in a negative way."
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced Monday that the megaproject would move into its third stage, which involves consultation with First Nations groups as well as federal and provincial environmental assessments.
Campbell has touted the project as a green energy necessity, but environmental groups and some First Nations have raised concerns about its impact on the surrounding and downstream ecosystem.
Sheila Muxlow, the interim director of the Sierra Club Prairie chapter, said they don't see the project as green at all.
"It does flood the land, it does release tons of methane through that process and it devastates the natural flow of the river, impacting the fish, the wildlife and communities both above and below the dam," Muxlow said.
Muxlow said the province is already experiencing a water crisis and believes the project could make things worse.
Edmonton NDP MLA Rachel Notley, who grew up in the Peace region, said the province should do what it can to stop the development. British Columbians will get the benefits of the dam, while Albertans are left with downstream side-effects.
Notley said the B.C. government likely doesn't need the roughly 4,600 gigawatt hours of electricity the dam will produce by 2020. She speculated that much of the power will be sold to operators in the oilsands.
"The (Alberta) government needs to make sure it stands up for the people in that area and not buckle under to oilsands interests at the expense of folks in that community," she said.
Peace River Mayor Iris Callioux said they are taking a cautious approach to the development. The town, she said, has a good relationship with BC Hydro and they expect to be heavily involved in the consultation process.
Callioux said they are worried both about flooding and about the effects on their drinking water, which comes out of the river. She'll be looking for assurances that they will be taken care of. "The biggest thing is to protect the town."
amclean@thejournal.canwest.com
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