Unlike a number of green advocates, political and otherwise, I think there can be some significant benefit for British Columbians from the development of LNG exports, particularly if issues around the supply and pricing of electricity, and the regulation and offset of industry GHG emissions are properly addressed. Nevertheless, I do agree with those who argue [...]
Marvin Shaffer’s Blog Posts
Marvin Shaffer is a consulting economist specializing in energy, transportation and natural resource economics. He is also an adjunct professor in the Public Policy Masters Program at SFU, where he teaches a course on benefit-cost analysis. Recent publications include Lost in Transmission, a three part critique of the British Columbia Energy Plan. More about Marvin on the SFU website .
The Green Part of Green
May 10th, 2013 · Marvin Shaffer · 4 Comments · Economy, Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability
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Debt Free BC?
May 4th, 2013 · Marvin Shaffer · Comments Off · Economy, Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability, Uncategorized
It is pretty clear that the election-inspired promise of a debt free BC is not to be taken seriously. There is no credible market analysis indicating that the royalties from B.C. LNG exports would be sufficient to do that in 15 years, as the Premier would have it. The potential for increased gas supply from [...]
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Project Mania
April 26th, 2013 · Marvin Shaffer · Comments Off · Economy
One can excuse politicians in the heat of a campaign of simplifying issues and seeking out tags and slags in lieu of substantive debate. But there is no excuse for leading columnists of major newspapers, like Barbara Yaffe in her most recent attack on the BC NDP, to do the same. Yaffe raises the spectre [...]
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Tea Party Tactics
February 7th, 2013 · Marvin Shaffer · 3 Comments · Environment, resources & sustainability
There is no question that climate change is one of the major issues of our time . And we do need to challenge our political leaders to state clearly what plans and strategies they have both to reduce GHG emissions and to prepare for the changes that are already happening and likely to intensify. However, [...]
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Time for a Serious Conversation about Natural Gas
June 22nd, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Energy
It is pretty clear that the government’s ill-conceived Energy Plan is falling apart. The near religious call for self-sufficiency has been moderated (though not sensibly changed) and the legislated requirement for insurance eliminated. The plan to develop run-of-river and wind IPPs for export has been abandoned. The problem of charging major new industrial customers less [...]
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Blowing in the Wind
June 20th, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · Comments Off · Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability
I suppose I should feel guilty, just as I imagine the good citizens of Rio might feel when they complain about the giant Jesus towering over the city, but I just don’t like the windmill at the top of Grouse Mountain. For me, it not only is a manufactured blight on an otherwise stunning landscape, [...]
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From Bad to Worse — The Latest in BC Energy Policy
May 23rd, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · 4 Comments · Energy
It is, I suppose, not surprising that the government would step in and effectively terminate the BC Utilities Commission’s hearing on BC Hydro’s rates. The issues and the evidence were getting embarrassing. In its rate application, BC Hydro reported that by 2014 it will be purchasing over 5000 GWh of private power that it acquired [...]
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Environmental Assessment
April 18th, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Environment, resources & sustainability
It’s hard not to sympathize with those who want to drastically change provincial and federal government environmental assessment processes. You only have to suffer through one or two, witnessing seemingly endless meetings, memos, draft terms of reference, real terms of reference, draft reports, real reports, and the obligatory sprinkling of highly structured consultations — all [...]
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TransLink Funding and Governance (Yet Again)
March 8th, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Taxes, Transparency & accountability
I always smile when I think of the provincial negotiator Peter Cameron’s comments when we were wrapping up the final details in the transit funding and governance negotiations leading to the creation of Translink. We all thought we had a good agreement. MetroVancouver would be given broad responsibilities to plan and deliver transit services, develop [...]
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After Self-Sufficiency — Will the Public or Private Interests be Served?
February 4th, 2012 · Marvin Shaffer · 5 Comments · Economy, Energy
It was, I suppose, too much to expect the government to acknowledge that the self-sufficiency and insurance requirements it had imposed on BC Hydro was a serious mistake. So it was no surprise that they simply stated in their announcement paving the way for the powering of the proposed new LNG plants that the Campbell-era policies [...]
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