Welcoming focus on climate leadership, but seriously, LNG?
Media Statement – May 12, 2015
Weaver welcomes focus on climate leadership, but seriously, LNG?
For Immediate Release
Victoria, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Deputy Leader of the B.C. Green Party welcomes the government’s focus on climate leadership but is concerned that the government is putting LNG and a credibility-building exercise ahead of real action.
“The BC Government already knows what we need to do to address climate change. Academics, business leaders, First Nations and the Ministry’s own staff laid out a comprehensive plan back in 2008, and have been providing ongoing advice for years about the next steps we need to take,” said Andrew Weaver. “Now the government needs to show leadership by taking action – not by striking another expert panel to tell it what it already knows.”
Equally concerning is that while the government talks about it’s climate leadership, it has gutted its climate action initiatives to support its promises of an LNG industry. Such actions are a step backward for the province and are directly contrary to the goal of getting the province back on track to achieve our emissions reduction targets.
“While I welcome any effort to move forward on climate action, the Premier’s insistence that LNG form the centrepiece of the BC economy seriously damages our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as our credibility as a jurisdiction that is taking climate commitments seriously.”
If the Premier is serious about climate action, here are four actions she could take right now that would make a significant difference:
1. Re-start the annual increase of the carbon levy by $5 per tonne (up to a total of $50/tonne) and use the additional revenue generated from these further increases to help fund infrastructure and public transit investments that foster more sustainable communities, while reducing GHG emissions.
2. Update the BC building codes and infrastructure standards to allow for, and promote, the electrification of our vehicular fleet.
3. Reinstate the original Clean Energy Act. The purpose of the act was to require 93% of energy be produced from zero-emitting sources. It was changed in 2012 to deem natural gas a “clean” source of energy in order to accommodate the proposed LNG industry, despite the fact the burning natural gas releases GHG emissions.
4. Reinvigorate BC’s clean tech sector by having BC Hydro issue regular calls for power. Modify BC Hydro’s mandate to encourage the development of a geothermal capacity in BC. Reinstate the retail access program so that industry can partner with the cleantech sector to produce renewable energy for their use. Finally, BC Hydro’s mandate could further be modified to allow it to facilitate deals that would attract businesses who prioritize using renewable energy to BC, while ensuring that our base power can supply clean electricity for the increased demand we will face as a province.
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Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic
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Exciting to hear billions and billions of capital for wind farms are waiting for the green from government…
A modern wind turbine repays all the energy it took to build it in 4.5 to 5.5 months with an average wind speed of 8.5 metres per second. This accounts for the mining, smelting, manufacturing, transporting, constructing, maintaining, disassembling, and recycling. The towers are 80 to 100 meters tall and now going to 120 meters. They operate for 25 to 30 years. So the energy return on energy invested is roughly an astounding 60:1. Meaning, if we put in one unit of energy we get 60 back. Assuming 25 (600 months) years of running time and 5 months energy return. The financial return on investment is 3 to 6 years depending on the wind regime and the negotiated price of electricity sold into the grid.
This is why Dow Chemical just decided to build 200 MW of cheaper wind than natural gas. Georgetown, Texas of 48,000 people also just decided to build 100% wind and solar by 2017 because it cheaper than grid electricity. Last week Warren Buffet invested $900 million into new wind in Iowa. Interestingly, Iowa now gets 28% of their electricity from wind and their electricity costs 30% less than coal dominated Wisconsin electricity.
http://www.kmaland.com/news/new-report-shows-iowa-leads-nation-for-wind-energy/article_ef4d45a0-f58d-11e4-a9c8-4f7f1af1d014.html
Wind in Alberta is already bringing down electricity prices. “Wind is the cheapest type of power produced in Alberta, with an average price of 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2013. The same per kilowatt-hour figure is 7.7 cents for coal and 8.3 cents for natural gas.”
Please listen here to confirm:
http://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/how-wind-and-solar-are-driving-down-prices-canadas-most-fossil-fuel-friendly-province
I like idea number 1 . . . . but there is so many other issues that scream for a new party leadership in our Province. The Liberals are a band of thieves . . . from the Socred old guard . . . Jim Pattison has quietly eroded BC’s average citizen’s hopes for decent paying jobs while being lauded as a business “saviour”
LNG is presently a pipe dream. It is not going to happen in any case in my estimation for many reasons . . . and rightfully so in my opinion.
We need to take back control of our Province and specifically in order of the following :
1) ICBC – – – this is the biggest breach of trust and hidden agenda entity in our province. It operates like the CIA and is making $$$$$$$ for the private insurance/ multi-national bank sector while effectively writing dirty laws to keep the peasants in check while handing out despicable salaries and severance packages at our expense. This issue is Huge for me and I think missed by so many.
2) BC Hydro – – – there is a move afoot to privatize Hydro that should be halted immediately. Hydro needs to have its house cleaned of all upper management level people (Liberal moles) and returned to an elected overseeing body that is fully transparent and directed by the voter interests and not the interest of Fortis, and the other Multinational Companies that are waiting to plunder its assets and take control of the last resource that BC-ers have some control over. This is HUGE!
3) Major legislative amendments to tendering law and fair practice in bidding opportunities that EXCLUDES U.S. and foreign based multinationals from P3-ing and excludes even bidding on Canadian tax funded works projects is an absolute MUST! One only has to look at the US as an example to see that our friends down south would never allow a Canadian or any other foreign company to harvest and take away huge revenues that otherwise should remain in our Province and Country
4) A Moratorium on P3’s in general. The Port Mann Bridge Gateway project spent Zillions more than was necessary and gave US owned Peter Kiewitt a Carte Blanche to steal in my opinion. This while the average working commuter now is faced with hundreds of dollars in tolled taxing per month so that Big Business truck transport can be more efficient getting cargo to the docks. Crazy that we as tax paying commuting citizens should have to pay a tax to subsidize the huge profits being made already by the Port of Vancouver old boys club !
5) there’s so much more to ramble on . . . but alas . . I tire … ;0)
What are ya some kind of f*%#ing climate scientist?! (Oops, sorry the EMay in me just slipped out.) If you two keep this whole truth-telling thing up, you’re going to change politics as we know it. Wait a minute … what?