...Win Again?
Well, well, well...
Whaddy'a know.
Just last week, the BC Liberal government decided that Hydro can build their new transmission lines free of any and all oversight from the BC Utilities Commission.
Because....
Balanced Budget!
Fiscally Responsible!!
Adrian Dix Wears Glasses!!!
Scott Simpson of the VSun has the story. Here is his lede:
An energy watchdog group is alarmed by a government decision this week to exempt two major BC Hydro transmission projects from review by the B.C. Utilities Commission.
One project involves upgrades to a 500-kilovolt line that runs across the province from Prince George to Terrace – a distance of 574 kilometres. The other is a new 93-kilometre 287 kilovolt line in the northwest that will extend Hydro’s grid from Bob Quinn Lake to Tatogga Lake south of Iskut. The government is promising to complete the 287 kilovolt line by 2014, the larger line by 2018.
No information on the cost of the projects has been released, nor whether or not they will go out for public tender.
The projects are needed to ensure timely availability of electricity for mining and liquefied natural gas projects in northwest B.C. according to a statement dated March 26 on the B.C. energy ministry’s website.
As a result, they won’t have to wait for BCUC reviews that would normally be required to determine if they are necessary or that their construction costs have been properly assessed....
Hmmmmm.....
Wonder if a BC Hydro Director's company were to bid on the work at a meeting on, say, May 13th, he or she will step out of the Board Room when the decision is made?
Na.
The fine BC Liberal Party-connected folks running Hydro these days would never do something as conflicty as that.
Would they?
______
Meanwhile, in long weekend news of the Lotuslandian proMedia...I see, via the Twittmachine, that, having held his finger up up the wind, Ron Obvious has finally written a column in which he, too, tells us that the PCT is kinda/sorta not such a good thing for Team Body Politick....Gosh...Good thing Mr. Obvious is not still a sportswriter...'Cause if he was he would probably just now be telling us all about the fantastic win that put Florida Gulf Coast into the Sweet 16...
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5 comments:
Interesting, this was posted literally on the same day the huge auditor General/Pacific Carbon Trust story/ smear campaign started.
Interesting timing, gosh, guess they figured nobody would notice..
Cheers
Grant--
Yup.
Nice work by Mr. Simpson.
.
BC Hydro Directors:
James Brown's term expires September 30, 2013
Larry Blain and John Knappett's terms expire December 31, 2013
John Ritchie and Janine North's terms expire November 1, 2014 (North is currently in the Prince George news as CEO of the Northern Development Initiative Trust aka Plyscraper, aka Woodgate)
Brad Bennett (son and grandson of former BC premiers) has a term ending date of January 26, 2015
James Hatton's term ends December 31, 2016
Tracey McVicar serves at pleasure and has no termination date
Kim Baird's due date is not listed
Here's some interesting reading from Will McMartin at The Tyee
Thanks Anon-Above--
Regarding 'stepping out of the room' when decisions are made I was alluding to the fact that Mr. Brown did just that when the board awarded a company he was then connected with a big chunk of the smart meter contracts.
Imagine that!
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Mr. Simpson's work has villified Linmen working for BCHydro got making upwards of $150k a year. What he doesnt tell you is that his work has caused major changes to BCHydro which has raised costs to the taxpayer. BCH linemen are paid $10 an hour less than the private sector linemen, have had their overtime capped and most of the work farmed out, where it is costing the corporation a lot more money than it otherwise would. It has also had the effect of emptying BCH headquarters throughout the province. BCH has so many vacancies that god help them if the power goes out in say Vancouver where the vacancy rate is at 75%. Couple this with the fact that many linemen at the larger contractors are making $300 k a year, and it's no wonder the rates have to go up. As a private sector worker, I am loving it, but I can't help but feel for the rate payers. I have never made so much money. And neither have my employers. Why doesn't Simpson investigate that: the real cost of publishing these articles. Why doesn't he ask the question of "where are all of BCH's linemen.
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