Saskatchewan's New Right Wing Premier Desperately Wants Nuclear Mega-Project
“Greenpeace Canada is warning taxpayers to hold on to their wallets if nuclear power gets the go-ahead in Saskatchewan, even with the provincial government pledging not to put public money into any project.”
Regina Leader-Post
Premier Brad Wall’s government inherited a healthy financial situation when he won election in November, 2007. With the price of oil at an all time high, the money just keeps rolling in and Wall is hungry for a mega-project or two that will continue the current good fortunes of his Saskatchewan Party.
What makes this interesting is the fact that Saskatchewan’s new right wing Premier is a free market fundamentalist. He claims that government will not pick 'winners and losers' in the Saskatchewan economy by using precious tax dollars.
Enter Bruce Power. The day after Ontario’s private nuclear operator Bruce Power was passed over for building new nuclear reactors at its site on Lake Huron, the company announced that it will carry out a “feasibility study” for the possible construction of a new nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan.
Wall is telling the press that any nuclear plant constructed in Saskatchewan would have to be built without public funds. Right. No taxpayers money in any such mega-project.
Well, in Ontario, Bruce Power leases a nuclear site from the provincial government. The lease agreement passes on full liability for such things as cost over-runs onto Ontario’s taxpayers. The Ontario government also agreed to build a $ 600 million dollar power line to transmit Bruce Power’s electricity to Toronto. It’s a great deal for Bruce Power. It’s a bad deal for individual taxpayers. Saskatchewan should beware.
The biggest part of Bruce Power’s ‘feasibility study’ will likely involve determining exactly what Wall is prepared to put on the table to sweeten any future nuclear deal between Saskatchewan and the company.
Greenpeace has rightly pointed out that the necessary size of a nuclear power plant compared to the relatively small demand for electricity in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as the massive capital costs for a nuclear plant, make such a project a poor fit for Saskatchewan. But remember, newly minted Premier Brad Wall is desperate for a mega-project and he is flush with cash.
"They (Bruce Power) need in some way, shape or form government backing. Whether that comes in the form of direct loans, loan guarantees, performance guarantees, guaranteed contracts for electricity purchase, they're all forms of government support." said Dave Martin, energy co-ordinator for Greenpeace.
Greenpeace Blog
Regina Leader-Post
Premier Brad Wall’s government inherited a healthy financial situation when he won election in November, 2007. With the price of oil at an all time high, the money just keeps rolling in and Wall is hungry for a mega-project or two that will continue the current good fortunes of his Saskatchewan Party.
What makes this interesting is the fact that Saskatchewan’s new right wing Premier is a free market fundamentalist. He claims that government will not pick 'winners and losers' in the Saskatchewan economy by using precious tax dollars.
Enter Bruce Power. The day after Ontario’s private nuclear operator Bruce Power was passed over for building new nuclear reactors at its site on Lake Huron, the company announced that it will carry out a “feasibility study” for the possible construction of a new nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan.
Wall is telling the press that any nuclear plant constructed in Saskatchewan would have to be built without public funds. Right. No taxpayers money in any such mega-project.
Well, in Ontario, Bruce Power leases a nuclear site from the provincial government. The lease agreement passes on full liability for such things as cost over-runs onto Ontario’s taxpayers. The Ontario government also agreed to build a $ 600 million dollar power line to transmit Bruce Power’s electricity to Toronto. It’s a great deal for Bruce Power. It’s a bad deal for individual taxpayers. Saskatchewan should beware.
The biggest part of Bruce Power’s ‘feasibility study’ will likely involve determining exactly what Wall is prepared to put on the table to sweeten any future nuclear deal between Saskatchewan and the company.
Greenpeace has rightly pointed out that the necessary size of a nuclear power plant compared to the relatively small demand for electricity in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as the massive capital costs for a nuclear plant, make such a project a poor fit for Saskatchewan. But remember, newly minted Premier Brad Wall is desperate for a mega-project and he is flush with cash.
"They (Bruce Power) need in some way, shape or form government backing. Whether that comes in the form of direct loans, loan guarantees, performance guarantees, guaranteed contracts for electricity purchase, they're all forms of government support." said Dave Martin, energy co-ordinator for Greenpeace.
Greenpeace Blog
Whooee! Well, LD, Bruce has been casting a covetous eye in my direction: Nanticoke. Ginty's vowed to close Nanticoke coal fired station. He's stalled and delayed but most agree that the generating station will be closed, eventually. Enter Bruce Power.
A local grassroots group here has been gathering a lot of pertinent info on Bruce, nuclear power, seismic concerns, life cycle costs, etc. Saskatchewan fellers an' gals who are concerned about gettin' steamrolled into a bad investment might find some good ammo at the Grand Erie Energy Quest website.
Even if Wall keeps his word wrt SK funding, the feds continue to prop up the nuke industry. Both Grit and Con federal governments have been very friendly to the proponents of not clean, not safe, not affordable energy.
Here's what the Green Party says:
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Green Party MPs will:
* Work with Provinces to phase out existing nuclear power, to stem the buildup of nuclear wastes, and to institute a Canada wide moratorium on uranium mining and refining.
* Call for the federal government to stop subsidizing all phases of the nuclear industry and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and stop promoting CANDU reactors. Federal insurance will no longer cover the risk of nuclear accidents.
* Demand that the operations of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and AECL are transparent and at arms length from government and require the disclosure of the minutes of all meetings with AECL.
* Seek an amendment to the Nuclear Liability Act, increasing maximum insured liabilities from $75 million to $13 billion (the amount for which US reactors are insured). Federal legislation will no longer limit the liability of the nuclear industry to a minuscule portion of potential costs of a nuclear accident.
(Vision Green)
**********************
I ain't too well-versed on the NDP's stance on nuclear energy. I'm guessin' it ain't anything like the GPC policy or else the uranium mining business wouldn't have expanded so much under Calvert.
One of the worst things about the whole issue si that government already subsidizes Bruce and AECL. In turn, those outfits spend a good part of the money we give them on lobbying us to give them more. In the meantime, grassroots citizens groups can't even get a voice at the table. In Nanticoke, Haldimand Council has refused to hear from an anti-nuke delegation but has been wined and dined by Bruce's charming CEO and is on record as pro-nuke without any public consultation.
JB
Posted by
JimBobby |
9:31 am, June 23, 2008
The GP Federal Candidates in Ontario are Pro Nuclear and Pro Nanticoke depending on the riding and Candidate.
The GP stand for nothing here.
Bruce Nuclear Green is for Nuclear and Nuclear Expansion
Nanticoke Green is another Energy guy, lots of Nuclear background, but wants to promote Coal, although he was ok if the new plant chosen landed in Haldimand.
McGuinty heard the good GP endorsements and plopped another proposal for Darlington.
The most electable GP candidate in the riding where the GP came 2nd is NUCLEAR.
"Whoa! Our Candidate is Nuclear!"
So, maybe your grassroots 100 odd people who voted for him as candidate, aren't the same grass roots people you speak of?
Or maybe you and the GP are making up alot of nonsense.
The GP gave up the environment in Ontario some time ago. The voters believe that Nuclear and coal are ok because of the GP.
This is about politics, votes and nuclear lobbies.
The irony being the GP sold themselves out before even getting one MP elected and if their most electable riding succeeds, possible the ONLY GP MP will be pro nuclear.
Posted by
Brian Van Tilborg |
2:42 pm, July 02, 2008