Environmental Assessment for Duke Point Power

For people concerned about the Duke Point Power plant, winner of BC Hydro's CFT, it may be advisable to pursue the Environmental Assessment Office environmental certification process as well as the BCUC process:

The BC Utilities Commission is operating under a set of fairly legalistic rules, and they are supposed to be mainly concerned with parties who have shown that they have an "interest" in the project, i.e. who stand to be affected by the project. This means that if, as a ratepayer, you think this will result in your being overcharged for electricity, you have an interest. If you have environmental concerns, the BCUC may well say that that is not their area of concern (since the Environmental Assessment Office is responsible here). If you can argue that, as a ratepayer, your electricity rates are likely to go up as a result of Duke Point's liability for environmental harm, that would, technically engage the BCUC. (That said, the BCUC may have a certain amount of sensitivity to public calls for a conference or review in Nanaimo, so by all means ask for it.)

Regarding environmental concerns, I recommend writing to the Environmental Assessment Office and to the relevant Minister(s) (Sustainable Resource Management; Water, Lands and Air Protection; Energy and Mines) -- whichever are in charge of deciding whether the environmental certificate that was issued for the Vancouver Island Generation Project can be adapted and applied to the Duke Point Power Plant. This is quite a political issue, and enough public input could force a separate environmental review for the new plant.

Duke Point Power is probably writing to the EAO and the Minister right now, asking to have the VIGP certificate shifted to them. There is no mandated public process, no public notifications. So get your views in fast.

GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition