PEOPLE POWER is a six-chaper 50 minute DVD designed to help activists launch grassroots community-based campaigns to protect public power and the environment.
Plugged In - BCCPP eNews April 2010
BC Citizens for Public Power is pleased to welcome Rex Weyler as our new communications and research consultant. He'll be speaking at public meetings throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland about saving public power and BC's wild rivers; submitting OpEd's to newspapers throughout the province; contributing regular posts to BCCPP's new Blog—REXpert Opinions—on our website; and more!
Resources
Get tuned in to REXpert Opinions—BCCPP's blog, with regular submissions by Rex Weyler. REXpert Opinions is an insightful resource exploring our provincial energy policy; ecology and economics; how green organizations go wrong; the practice of "greenwashing" by large corporations; and many other thoughtful musings.
Events and Action
PUBLIC MEETING: VANCOUVER
On April 6th, join four environmental organizations to explore what is happening to BC's rivers and how clean energy can be done right.
Rivers at Risk: Saving Bute Inlet from General Electric will explore the proposed hydro megaproject on majestic Bute Inlet.
Plutonic Power, in partnership with US corporate giant General Electric, is proposing to construct an enormous 1027 megawatt private power project. The proposed project would involve building 17 separate dams and river diversions, over 440 km of power lines, over 250 km of roads and over 100 bridges.
This forum will feature:
Event details
Date: Tuesday, April, 6, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St., Vancouver
Click here to view event poster.
In February we advised you that BCCPP had filed a formal request under the Freedom of Information and Protection Privacy Act for access to the communications and public submissions to the province’s Green Energy Advisory Task Force during their brief submission period. The request involves records from the Ministry of the Environment as well as the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources. In late February, we were advised that there are more than 4,600 pages of relevant documents and that accessing and photocopying these records would cost BCCPP several thousands of dollars!
Our request for a fee waiver has been denied. The rationale for denying our request, according to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, is that the records involved “must relate to the public interest and not whether the issue is of interest to the public."
We believe this information is in the public interest for numerous reasons: because it relates to public assets and the economic implications to the provincial treasury; financial burdens to ratepayers; the emerging social problem of energy poverty through a manufactured electricity market; energy planning and security; lack of regional planning and potential/actual cumulative impacts associated with clusters of private power projects; adverse environmental impacts associated with project construction.
We will continue to fight to make this information public and in the meantime appreciate your continued support—including your donations—to help offset associated costs.
In the Media
Since January, BC Citizens for Public Power has conducted over 20 print, broadcast, and online media interviews. In March alone we have conducted 14 interviews commenting on topics such as the BC Budget, the proposed 33% rate increase for BC Hydro rate payers over the next four years, BCUC's approval of the 9.11% rate increase, and the government and industry's ongoing misrepresentation of private power being synonymous with green energy.
March's media coverage included 3 print interviews, 6 radio interviews, 3 online interviews, and 2 TV interviews. Read all of our recent media coverage.
Listen to the CKNW debate on the Sean Leslie show between Melissa Davis, Executive Director of BC Citizens for Public Power, and Bruce Sanderson, spokesperson for astroturf group BC Citizens for Green Energy. This show aired on March 14th.We Need Your Help
In order to continue our valuable work, BCCPP needs ongoing financial support. We are seeking 500 new or existing donors to join our team of PUBLIC DEFENDERS by contributing $10 per month.
Monthly donors provide a stable revenue stream while reducing administrative costs. Small monthly gifts also add to significant support over the year.
To demonstrate our accountability to supporters like you, we have produced BCCPP's Two Year Progress Report which summarizes our activities and financial position for the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The report highlights our key accomplishments over the past two years, along with some of our strategic program plans moving forward.
Read BCCPP's Two Year Progress ReportStay plugged-in and energized on this issue!