Customer groups absent in naming of committees

COMMENT: Note that there are only two women, as well. And one has only been a "name" in energy circles for less than a year.

But nobody claims these task forces will do anything other than endorse policies already determined by the government that established the task forces in the first place. So they might as well have put Paris Hilton on one of them for all the difference it's going to make.

Scott Simpson
Vancouver Sun
November 21, 2009

Organizations representing BC Hydro's industrial, commercial and residential customers are absent from the rosters of four committees charged with transforming British Columbia into an electricity export powerhouse.

As announced by Premier Gordon Campbell on Nov. 2, the groups will make recommendations on an ambitious agenda, including regulatory reform of BC Hydro, procurement of new power projects, export market opportunities, first nations partnerships in new power development and green power expansion.

Hydro itself has no representation, although the Crown corporation's legal counsel, Jeff Christian, joins former chairman Mossadiq Umedaly, a political appointee, former Powerex vice-president Tim Newton and frequent Hydro consultant Ren Orans among 29 group members announced Friday by the government.

There are some surprises in the way the appointees were distributed among the four groups. For example, Pembina Institute carbon-trading analyst Matt Horne was named to the resource development group rather than the one looking at carbon pricing.

Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom noted in an interview that groups not represented on the groups will have the opportunity to present their interests.

"Anybody who is not [named] on there and can contribute -- and we think there are many out there -- will be given the opportunity to put their submissions in for these groups to consider," Lekstrom said.

Newton was named chairman of the group charged with recommending improvements to Hydro's methods for soliciting new power supply from independent producers.

McCarthy Tetrault law firm partner Cheryl Slusarchuk, who in 2007 was named chairwoman of the Premier's Climate Action Team, will lead a group looking at carbon trading and expansion of BC Hydro's electricity export market.

Public relations adviser James Hoggan leads a group looking at first nations partnerships in electricity projects, and promotion to communities of private power projects -- the latter an issue that has created bitter divisions within B.C.'s environmental advocacy community.

Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association director John Webster leads a committee looking at environmentally sustainable development of new power supply including biomass, solar and tidal power.

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