Editor,

Say what, Christy Clarke?

Yes, British Columbians have significant electricity needs. We should concentrate on conservation – not build huge capacity!
 
1. When we do decide to build, the projects should go through rigorous environmental impact assessments – not the Mickey Mouse, under-resourced process currently in place.
2. We should not leave the production of hydro-electricity in private-for-profit hands. That is where our southern neighbours went wrong! Their transmission system and production was/is in private hands. Remember ENRON?

Any “profit” our public power hydro generates (pun intended) stays in the public purse to benefit all of British Columbians – not shareholders and their CEOs! Nothing awful about this “truth”.

You say that Californian’s panicked and then did the dirty diesel deed – something we should avoid, presumably. So, on our panic, we should concrete over our wilderness and give away our public rivers, streams and revenue instead? Not a choice I want to make lightly even under the pretext of developing “green and renewable” power. I don’t look for the “perfect” answer: but I want one pretty darn close!

My mother was fond of telling me, when I tried to cite others as justification for doing something: If your friend jumped off the bridge would you do that too?

Don’t attack the environmentalists. Say “Thank you” to them for ringing the alarm bells! We should all object to what is allowed to happen to our commons in the name of “green” but really for private profit - Orwell turns in his grave.

Gudrun Langolf

"The Earth is not dying, it is being killed, and the people killing it have names and addresses." - Utah Phillips

Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy. - Sir Peter Ustinov