Contrary to what you may have heard, the Great Bear Rainforest is not under attack. Neither is Premier Gordon Campbell backing down from his promise to protect environmentally significant portions of the central coast because the province is considering applications for electrical-power generation in the region. As The Sun's Larry Pynn discovered this week, the province is looking at proposals for a large wind farm and four commercial run-of-the-river power generation projects that have the potential to infringe on either existing or planned conservancies. ...The 2006 legislation defining the conservancies on the central coast specifically forbids "large hydro-electric" developments, but permits run-of-the river projects designed to provide power to local communities not serviced by the provincial power grid. ...But the legislation is silent on wind power and does not specifically forbid transmission lines.

Contrary to what you may have heard, the Great Bear Rainforest is not under attack. Neither is Premier Gordon Campbell backing down from his promise to protect environmentally significant portions of the central coast because the province is considering applications for electrical-power generation in the region.

As The Sun's Larry Pynn discovered this week, the province is looking at proposals for a large wind farm and four commercial run-of-the-river power generation projects that have the potential to infringe on either existing or planned conservancies.

Some environmentalists are crying foul, based on their interpretation of the landmark land-use agreement reached last year between environmental groups, first nations, forestry companies and the province. The deal was supposed to end the never-ending war in the woods by providing environmental protection and sustainable economic development for the contested region.

Key to the agreement was the establishment of a number of conservancies. Conservancies are deliberately not the same as parks. They are designated areas where natural values are to be protected but other values, such as traditional rights of first nations and sustainable economic development, can be considered as well.

The 2006 legislation defining the conservancies on the central coast specifically forbids "large hydro-electric" developments, but permits run-of-the river projects designed to provide power to local communities not serviced by the provincial power grid.

That would seem to imply that anything large enough to require connection to the grid would not be allowed.

But the legislation is silent on wind power and does not specifically forbid transmission lines.

It also specifically allows road construction through a conservancy if it is needed for resource extraction outside of its boundaries.

So the question in considering all of the power generation applications on the central coast is more complicated than just whether it infringes on the boundaries of a conservancy.

Other values also have to be considered. One of those values is the need for new sources of electricity that do not add to the burden of greenhouses gases being pumped into the atmosphere.

Wind and hydroelectric power both fit that bill.

Now the better question is whether such developments can be carried out in a way that respects the intent of the conservancies -- to protect natural values while permitting other uses that don't unduly undermine that goal.

We don't know whether these five projects meet that test. But we also don't know that they don't. They should be considered on their merits, not rejected on the basis of knee-jerk politics and pressure tactics by some environmentalists.

 

Web link: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/...