CCPA Policy Note

Entries Tagged as 'Energy'

More Please!!!

March 9th, 2010 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Economy, Energy

Every now and again you read something so outrageous you have to laugh. So it is with the report recently released by BC Citizens for Clean Energy: A Triple Legacy for Future Generations.
The essence of this lobby group’s proposal is that the government should develop an export policy for green energy targeting up to [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

About that Copenhagen award

February 5th, 2010 · Marc Lee · 1 Comment · Climate change, Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability, Taxes

Back in December, during the Copenhagen negotiations, a group of environmentalists provided BC Premier Gordon Campbell with an award for climate leadership. Based primarily on the creation of a BC carbon tax two years ago, the Premier has gotten a lot of brownie points from the greens – in spite of the fact that there [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

Economic Impacts !?@#

January 20th, 2010 · Marvin Shaffer · 2 Comments · Economy, Energy

There isn’t a reputable economist that I know, nor a student in my benefit-cost class at SFU (that wants to pass) that does not understand the difference between economic impacts and real economic benefits. Nevertheless, industry lobbyists and all-too-many government officials never cease to point to economic impacts — the number of jobs a project [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ·

And the Question is???

November 23rd, 2009 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Economy, Energy

The recently announced Green Energy Task Force reminds me of a story that soft energy path guru Amory Lovins liked to tell. It was about this billboard  pronouncing, in giant, biblically bold print, that Jesus is the Answer. Someone, a shameless heathen no doubt, innocently scrawled underneath: but what is the question?
So it is with [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Risky Business

November 12th, 2009 · Marvin Shaffer · 1 Comment · Economy, Energy

The government’s recent rejection of the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) decision on the Burrard Thermal power plant had nothing to do with the operations and GHG or other emissions at Burrard.  BC Hydro freely admits it is business as usual with Burrard. It will operate the plant as it has in the past — to [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

You Don’t Have to Sell BC Hydro to Give it Away

November 3rd, 2009 · Marvin Shaffer · 6 Comments · Economy, Energy

I recently told a right wing friend of mine that this is the worst government British Columbia has had in a very long time. I said that not because of its political orientation and values that time and again favour the interests of the wealthy over the less fortunate in a rather shameless way. I [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ···

Planning for a Green Vancouver

October 28th, 2009 · Marc Lee · 3 Comments · Climate change, Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability, Poverty, inequality & welfare

Last week, the City of Vancouver’s task force, the Greenest City Action Team, issued a plan for the city with short and longer-term goals and policy advice on achieving them. The report covers more than climate change, a good thing as it is important to identify win-wins that lead to improvement on other environmental, health [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Canada-US Clean Energy Dialogue – worrisome signs

October 7th, 2009 · Marjorie Griffin Cohen · No Comments · Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability

In February 2009 the US and Canada initiated a joint effort to deal with climate change issues through the US-Canada Clean Energy Dialogue (CED). The CED`s working group issued its Action Plan on Sept. 16th.  Much of the plan is encouraging, particularly priorities around clean energy technologies and research and development. But there are a [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

Green in a Different Sense

October 2nd, 2009 · Marvin Shaffer · 2 Comments · Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability

It is all about marketing I suppose, but I still can’t believe the proponents of the Highway 37 Northwest electric transmission line labelling it a green initiative. The only thing green about it is all the money BC Hydro will lose if it goes ahead.
The proponents’ spin is that this transmission line will enable a [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

Out of the Closet on Site C

September 14th, 2009 · Marjorie Griffin Cohen · 4 Comments · Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability

For years, successive BC governments have forbidden any new large-scale hydro dams. When I was on the BC Hydro Board of Directors in the mid-1990s, the Board passed a motion that all government land-holdings associated with Site C should be sold. The BC Hydro Board was against building Site C, or any other [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

  • Find us on Facebook