[R-G] Environment minister pulls plug on hydro plan for Upper Pitt

[Anthony Fenton]

Environment minister pulls plug on hydro plan for Upper Pitt
By Phil Melnychuk - Maple Ridge News - March 26, 2008
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/mapleridgenews/news/Environment_minister_pulls_plug_on_hydroelectric_plan_for_Upper_Pitt_River.html
Wednesday, 3/26/2008 9:29 pm

Run of River's Power Inc.'s plans for producing hydro power in the  
Upper Pitt River valley just got a lot more expansive, if they proceed  
at all.

Environment Minister Barry Penner said Wednesday he won't allow any  
boundary changes to Pinecone Burke Provincial Park.

His decision came hours after another open house in Pitt Meadows,  
where more than a thousand people showed up to speak against Run of  
River's plans to put small dams on seven pristine streams that flow  
into the Upper Pitt River.

The proposal hinged on a 4.6-kilometre powerline through the  
provincial park, the cheapest and easiest way for Run of River Power  
to hook into the BC Hydro grid in Squamish. To do that would have  
meant changing the park boundaries.

After Tuesday's open house, Penner had heard enough.

"At this point, I felt I got enough information to make my decision,"  
he said.

Penner had hinted as much in previous weeks, saying that the project  
was facing serious obstacles.

People still had until April 2 to put in their comments, but Penner  
doubts he would have heard anything different. He said he had few e- 
mails from people supporting the project.

"There are people who feel passionate about B.C. parks, and so do I. I  
used to work for B.C. Parks."

According to a 2004 policy, when considering a proposal to change a  
park boundary, B.C. Parks must undertake public consultation, consider  
local government opinion, environmental and social costs and First  
Nations views, and if there's an alternative route. There is for Run  
of River Power's proposal, south, beneath Pitt Lake.

The Squamish First Nation opposed the powerline going through its  
territory, near Pinecone Burke park.

Penner concluded the proposal did not meet the strict environmental  
criteria, nor did it have sufficient support from the public, some  
First Nations, and local government.

He had consulted with his staff on most aspects and just needed to  
hear about the public consultation.

Environmentalists applauded the announcement.

"It is a big victory and we'd like to say congratulations to Minister  
Penner for putting our park and wild salmon ahead of a private power  
company," said Gwen Barlee, with the Western Canada Wilderness  
Committee.

"It restores my faith in the value of people speaking out and making  
their voices heard."

She wouldn't say the project's completely dead, "maybe not 100 per  
cent mortality," but "it's got one foot in the grave."

Barlee based her opinion on Run of River Power statements at the open  
house that a southern powerline route, beneath Pitt Lake, would be too  
expensive.

Elaine Golds, with Burke Mountain Naturalists, still had concerns.  
"We're very pleased for the park issue. I think it's a wise decision,"  
not to dismantle parks.

"I'm not convinced we've seen the end of this project. Our wild salmon  
could still be at risk up there."

The Upper Pitt and its tributaries are "last stronghold of wild salmon  
in the lower Fraser Valley," she said. Putting power houses on all  
seven of those tributaries would have been too heavy an environmental  
load.

"We may now see them [Run of River Power] coming back, saying, well it  
[the southern route] was viable after all."

If that happened, the same groups who opposed the norther powerline  
route would oppose the southern route, said Geoff Clayton, with the  
Alouette River Management Society in Maple Ridge.

A powerline running south could also touch Pinecone Burke park and the  
Pitt Addington reserve, he said.

However, Run of River said in its initial application that it choose  
the northern powerline route because it was the least environmentally  
harmful.

Clayton said the park boundary issue was a convenient way for the  
government to deal with the Run of River proposal.

"It was growing at the rate that it could have been a provincewide  
issue."

Calls to Run of River Power Wednesday were not returned.

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is calling for a moratorium on  
independent power projects. It wants any further projects to be  
planned on a regional basis, environmentally appropriate and publicly  
owned.

It's also concerned about power being exported out of B.C. once  
agreements with BC Hydro expire.

Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, called it  
"disappointing" to see renewable hydro power pitted against  
biodiversity.

"To see those two values in conflict is the worst possible outcome I  
could imagine," he said Wednesday during a Tri-Cities Chamber of  
Commerce luncheon.

A better job needs to be done of mapping out the biodiversity of an  
area, he said, before an independent power proposal comes, so such  
"conflict" can be avoided.