Former Premier Roger Grimes will join me on Talk with Sue tonight.
This will be a 90 minute program dedicated to the Muskrat Falls deal.
It will be an important conversation for a number of reasons:
1. As a former Premier - he is among a very few that can relate to the job that Premier Dunderdale has.
2. As the Premier who signed the Voisey's Bay deal he can relate to the listener - the comparison between that project and the current proposed Muskrat Falls deal, he can relate to the listener - the sanction processes used for such developments, he can relate to the listener - where potential conflicts may be, he can relate to the listener - former proposed deals on the Lower Churchill, he can relate to the listener - the balance that must be found between industrial development and the maximization of benefits to the people when developing natural resources, he can relate to the listener - his concerns regarding the proposed Muskrat deal based on his experiences as Premier, as a Cabinet Minister, and now as an ordinary citizen, taxpayer, and ratepayer, and he can relate to the listener his experiences with Hydro-Quebec and Quebec.
3. When he was Premier - Danny Williams was the Leader of the Opposition and demanded certain things in the House of Assembly relative to the Voisey's Bay deal - then Danny became Premier and since then Roger has been retired and is unable to directly participate in the upcoming House of Assembly debate. What would he demand if he were in the HOA now?
4. As Premier he was privy to many direct discussions and reports from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, the state of power supply, the choices for new supply, the price of power both industrially and domestic, and the governance of Crown Corporations.
5. It will allow the listener to hear in totality the reasoning behind his concerns about this deal. It will not be interrupted by commercials or shortened based on time restrictions of other programs both talk-shows and news outlets.
This is the type of program that the new social media accommodates. It adds an additional democratic tool that people can avail of. It helps to offset the disproportionate time allotted to government spin paid for by our tax dollars.
More and more in the future we will see these types of programs and learn to use them for information, debate, and discourse. As our political system is now - with the apathy we suffer - we are going to need this medium.
To hear this program join me live tonight Press HERE
Showing posts with label hydro privatization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hydro privatization. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Nova Scotians want to Nationalize Emera (NS Power)?
Remember our Power of the People?
Well now there is a Nova Scotian group called Power to the People.
They are calling on Nova Scotia Power (Emera) to be nationalized.
They have a facebook page: PRESS HERE
They have a song on youtube:
They have a website: PRESS HERE
8 Billion in debt for our children - for Power that is not needed - and a deal that will ultimately ruin our Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
Nova Scotia privatized at the same time we stopped the privatization of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. They are paying a huge price. Stop the ruination of our great company. Demand - as shareholders - that management and executive be replaced by professionals committed to us (the shareholders) not private millionaires looking for a new buck.
We stopped the privatization of NL Hydro to prevent this:
“Nova Scotia Power made $121 million in profits in 2010, while paying their executives millions. With democratic public ownership, that money would stay here in Nova Scotia and be used for public priorities, like hospitals, schools and roads”
Do not let Dunderdale/Williams doomed plan ruin the future for our children.
Already we are seeing cuts to vital services to subsidize this fiasco.
Stop the deal - shut the GATES!
Well now there is a Nova Scotian group called Power to the People.
They are calling on Nova Scotia Power (Emera) to be nationalized.
They have a facebook page: PRESS HERE
They have a song on youtube:
They have a website: PRESS HERE
8 Billion in debt for our children - for Power that is not needed - and a deal that will ultimately ruin our Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
Nova Scotia privatized at the same time we stopped the privatization of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. They are paying a huge price. Stop the ruination of our great company. Demand - as shareholders - that management and executive be replaced by professionals committed to us (the shareholders) not private millionaires looking for a new buck.
We stopped the privatization of NL Hydro to prevent this:
“Nova Scotia Power made $121 million in profits in 2010, while paying their executives millions. With democratic public ownership, that money would stay here in Nova Scotia and be used for public priorities, like hospitals, schools and roads”
Do not let Dunderdale/Williams doomed plan ruin the future for our children.
Already we are seeing cuts to vital services to subsidize this fiasco.
Stop the deal - shut the GATES!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Emera Party carries on in Barbados - Stop this Deal!
Listen up all Newfoundland and Labrador MHA's - for once - just once actually commit to due diligence.
Is Emera - a company we want to do business with?
The last post dealt with growing tensions in Nova Scotia and the party hearty Emera executives.
This post takes the party further south as we go "Island Hopping" with Emera.
What a mess Newfoundland and Labrador - and this is something we avoided years ago. Do not let this company into our province. They are already in and buying local companies - stop this now.
The Halifax Media Co-op contains a very telling story on Emera: Read Full Article Press Here
Here are some snippets:
Emera, the Nova Scotia-based company with a penchant for electricity generation, moved fast onto the scene in Barbados, purchasing a 38 per cent share in the largely nationally-owned BLP in May 2010, and another 41 per cent in January 2011. When shares in BLP were trading at $12 on the Barbados stock market, Emera, which has been making ambitious purchases and clocking record profits since 2010, offered BLP shareholders $25 per share – an offer they could not refuse.
Later, an investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Barbados' regulatory body, suggested that BLP shares were devastatingly undervalued, and should have been priced in the $40-50 range. Writers at “Barbados Underground”, one of the nations' most read independent media sites, suspected something was amiss with the deal. The FTC, as regulator of BLP's power rates prior to the sale to Emera, would have been well informed of BLP's assets and net worth. To emerge post-sale saying that Emera had purchased a more valuable company than they thought they had is suspicious indeed.
This isn't Emera's first Caribbean purchase, nor is it Emera's first brush with controversy in the islands. The company already has a controlling interest in the Grand Bahamas Power Company, the monopoly service provider to about 20,000 customers on the island of Grand Bahama. Purchased in 2009, its relationships on the island of Grand Bahamas have been anything but easy. Operation Justice Bahamas (OJB), a grassroots organization, has gathered over 5,000 signatures from disgruntled customers who have cried foul over skyrocketing power bills.
OJB's actions forced the Bahamian government into action, and an investigation into Emera's business practices, including hundreds of allegations of overpricing, “guess-timation,” and destructive power surges, is ongoing. Sarah MacDonald, Emera's chief officer in the Caribbean, suggested that difficulties in meter reading were related to the fact that over 8,000 Bahamians did not have a postal address, an allegation that OJB dismisses as a “slap in the face.”
OJB is hoping the governmental investigation is the first step towards a class-action lawsuit against Emera.
“They are, in my words, driving the people into poverty. And they are causing people to lose business.” says Troy Garvey of OJB.
“People are crying out every day” because of the skyrocketing power bills in the Barbados, says Carson Cardogan. “They're writing letters to the newspapers and the call-in programs. And it's having a very deleterious effect on the lives of many Barbadians.”
For the moment, Bahamians and Barbadians, and Nova Scotians, find themselves beholden to Emera's bottom line, a situation that to some – such as Abitibi, NewPage and their hundreds of out of work employees – has already become untenable. Nova Scotians will remember that two of NSPI's largest industrial clients, prior to massive downsizing and bailouts in the case of Abitibi, and bankruptcy in the case of Newpage, made very public mention of the fact that escalating power bills were driving them to ruin. While critics of the two companies suggested mismanagement as the more likely cause of their dire straights, it does beg the question, in Nova Scotia and beyond...
Is Emera bad for business?
Below please read a comment from a citizen of Barbados:
But Mr. Howe…you put a smile *smirk* on my face with your words. Guess I am not such a “fraud” any more when I question what is going on at Barbados Light & Power since Emera raised its head in these parts. Heard through the grapevine too…and please! this might only be a rumour but…Emera has stopped all their great and promised plans to upgrade Barbados Light & Power’s plant – some of them literally in mid-air for they were actually started under local contractors. Everyone just sent home overnight…no reason, no date for recommencing, no nutting. Because of this, the island is running out of power in a kind of a way, and they (BL&P) “has a plan” – to shut off certain pockets of areas across the island in order to save power…so homes and businesses are sometimes going a whole day without electricity.
Of course, we all know rumours run rampant in these little islands…so whilst I am it…here’s another…rumour also has it that Emera are the ones basically demanding yet another hike in rates. Or else? No more upgrading is the answer – that is what!!.
Oh! but that is not all …there are worse rumours…one being that Emera saw in Barbados a gullible lot of people, easy pickings as they say, and moved in swiftly to take the sheep by their ropes ’cause there were no horns to worry about.
But then…what do I know…just a consumer is all I am…and one who every time she screams about what kind of bills I am paying, is made to feel that it is all because I do not wish to pay my same and love to just keep power on willy-nilly. What gets to me is that yes! I have done all the tests, turning off this and that and testing how fast the metre turn round and round, had a professional electrician at my side too….and there is absolutely nothing wrong with my equipment….even went away for a month and turned everything off, pulled every plug and only left on one energy saving fridge (well excuse me fuh dat!)…and still got an enormous bill.
So to raise a bill from a fluctuating bill that approximates $300 a month in 2009, to $700 in 2010, to $1,800 (US is half those amounts Mr. Lowe) in 2011 (by the way the latter amount when the price of oil was down, down, down) when all we at this residence have done is make further adjustments to “save on energy” still does not seem right to me, and personally I do not feel it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out! Hence my veins bursting at the seams. Mostly I guess because I doan like de smell of rat!!!
What is worse and even ‘chuped’ as we say in the islands…is that when comparing with consumers who are using more, their bills are less in many instances. Mind you, companies are suffering something even worse…one business not too far from where I live got a whopping $23,000 bill this last month as compared to about half of that from the previous. I see this as targeting certain homes and businesses on some months in certain areas – a sort of “let’s play the dopes” strategy. The ‘interim bill’ being the great umbrella under which much is hidden. Let us continue to confuse the sheep syndrome if you ask me. And all this time, Emera and the BL&P seem not to be concerned whether Barbadians will lose jobs when companies can no longer afford to run, or when Barbadians like myself will have to rely on candles, gas stoves and no fridge. Because they are now apparently saying “give the rates a hike or else”. Back to the dark ages we go on this wonderfully developed Caribbean island of ours and that will definitely augur well with our tourism business…our biggest earner when it comes to dollars and no sense!
Those who love Emera now, raise yuh hand!! Those who think that Emera and BL&P gine get their way again, also raise yuh hand! I simply rest my case and shall wait with bated breath to see what happens over the next few weeks, months, possibly years.
By the way my fellow countrymen, the real worrying rumour is…there is not enough power to deal with Barbados coming out of BL&P….hmmm.
___________________________________________________
So Newfoundlanders and Labradorians - please look very closely at this proposed deal and shut it down.
Do not let yet another offshore Corporate control any of our natural renewable resources.
Is Emera - a company we want to do business with?
The last post dealt with growing tensions in Nova Scotia and the party hearty Emera executives.
This post takes the party further south as we go "Island Hopping" with Emera.
What a mess Newfoundland and Labrador - and this is something we avoided years ago. Do not let this company into our province. They are already in and buying local companies - stop this now.
The Halifax Media Co-op contains a very telling story on Emera: Read Full Article Press Here
Here are some snippets:
Emera, the Nova Scotia-based company with a penchant for electricity generation, moved fast onto the scene in Barbados, purchasing a 38 per cent share in the largely nationally-owned BLP in May 2010, and another 41 per cent in January 2011. When shares in BLP were trading at $12 on the Barbados stock market, Emera, which has been making ambitious purchases and clocking record profits since 2010, offered BLP shareholders $25 per share – an offer they could not refuse.
Later, an investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Barbados' regulatory body, suggested that BLP shares were devastatingly undervalued, and should have been priced in the $40-50 range. Writers at “Barbados Underground”, one of the nations' most read independent media sites, suspected something was amiss with the deal. The FTC, as regulator of BLP's power rates prior to the sale to Emera, would have been well informed of BLP's assets and net worth. To emerge post-sale saying that Emera had purchased a more valuable company than they thought they had is suspicious indeed.
This isn't Emera's first Caribbean purchase, nor is it Emera's first brush with controversy in the islands. The company already has a controlling interest in the Grand Bahamas Power Company, the monopoly service provider to about 20,000 customers on the island of Grand Bahama. Purchased in 2009, its relationships on the island of Grand Bahamas have been anything but easy. Operation Justice Bahamas (OJB), a grassroots organization, has gathered over 5,000 signatures from disgruntled customers who have cried foul over skyrocketing power bills.
OJB's actions forced the Bahamian government into action, and an investigation into Emera's business practices, including hundreds of allegations of overpricing, “guess-timation,” and destructive power surges, is ongoing. Sarah MacDonald, Emera's chief officer in the Caribbean, suggested that difficulties in meter reading were related to the fact that over 8,000 Bahamians did not have a postal address, an allegation that OJB dismisses as a “slap in the face.”
OJB is hoping the governmental investigation is the first step towards a class-action lawsuit against Emera.
“They are, in my words, driving the people into poverty. And they are causing people to lose business.” says Troy Garvey of OJB.
“People are crying out every day” because of the skyrocketing power bills in the Barbados, says Carson Cardogan. “They're writing letters to the newspapers and the call-in programs. And it's having a very deleterious effect on the lives of many Barbadians.”
For the moment, Bahamians and Barbadians, and Nova Scotians, find themselves beholden to Emera's bottom line, a situation that to some – such as Abitibi, NewPage and their hundreds of out of work employees – has already become untenable. Nova Scotians will remember that two of NSPI's largest industrial clients, prior to massive downsizing and bailouts in the case of Abitibi, and bankruptcy in the case of Newpage, made very public mention of the fact that escalating power bills were driving them to ruin. While critics of the two companies suggested mismanagement as the more likely cause of their dire straights, it does beg the question, in Nova Scotia and beyond...
Is Emera bad for business?
Below please read a comment from a citizen of Barbados:
But Mr. Howe…you put a smile *smirk* on my face with your words. Guess I am not such a “fraud” any more when I question what is going on at Barbados Light & Power since Emera raised its head in these parts. Heard through the grapevine too…and please! this might only be a rumour but…Emera has stopped all their great and promised plans to upgrade Barbados Light & Power’s plant – some of them literally in mid-air for they were actually started under local contractors. Everyone just sent home overnight…no reason, no date for recommencing, no nutting. Because of this, the island is running out of power in a kind of a way, and they (BL&P) “has a plan” – to shut off certain pockets of areas across the island in order to save power…so homes and businesses are sometimes going a whole day without electricity.
Of course, we all know rumours run rampant in these little islands…so whilst I am it…here’s another…rumour also has it that Emera are the ones basically demanding yet another hike in rates. Or else? No more upgrading is the answer – that is what!!.
Oh! but that is not all …there are worse rumours…one being that Emera saw in Barbados a gullible lot of people, easy pickings as they say, and moved in swiftly to take the sheep by their ropes ’cause there were no horns to worry about.
But then…what do I know…just a consumer is all I am…and one who every time she screams about what kind of bills I am paying, is made to feel that it is all because I do not wish to pay my same and love to just keep power on willy-nilly. What gets to me is that yes! I have done all the tests, turning off this and that and testing how fast the metre turn round and round, had a professional electrician at my side too….and there is absolutely nothing wrong with my equipment….even went away for a month and turned everything off, pulled every plug and only left on one energy saving fridge (well excuse me fuh dat!)…and still got an enormous bill.
So to raise a bill from a fluctuating bill that approximates $300 a month in 2009, to $700 in 2010, to $1,800 (US is half those amounts Mr. Lowe) in 2011 (by the way the latter amount when the price of oil was down, down, down) when all we at this residence have done is make further adjustments to “save on energy” still does not seem right to me, and personally I do not feel it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out! Hence my veins bursting at the seams. Mostly I guess because I doan like de smell of rat!!!
What is worse and even ‘chuped’ as we say in the islands…is that when comparing with consumers who are using more, their bills are less in many instances. Mind you, companies are suffering something even worse…one business not too far from where I live got a whopping $23,000 bill this last month as compared to about half of that from the previous. I see this as targeting certain homes and businesses on some months in certain areas – a sort of “let’s play the dopes” strategy. The ‘interim bill’ being the great umbrella under which much is hidden. Let us continue to confuse the sheep syndrome if you ask me. And all this time, Emera and the BL&P seem not to be concerned whether Barbadians will lose jobs when companies can no longer afford to run, or when Barbadians like myself will have to rely on candles, gas stoves and no fridge. Because they are now apparently saying “give the rates a hike or else”. Back to the dark ages we go on this wonderfully developed Caribbean island of ours and that will definitely augur well with our tourism business…our biggest earner when it comes to dollars and no sense!
Those who love Emera now, raise yuh hand!! Those who think that Emera and BL&P gine get their way again, also raise yuh hand! I simply rest my case and shall wait with bated breath to see what happens over the next few weeks, months, possibly years.
By the way my fellow countrymen, the real worrying rumour is…there is not enough power to deal with Barbados coming out of BL&P….hmmm.
___________________________________________________
So Newfoundlanders and Labradorians - please look very closely at this proposed deal and shut it down.
Do not let yet another offshore Corporate control any of our natural renewable resources.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
One Big Party at Our Expense - Emera/Nalcor
One day after Emera sought rate increases from customers in Nova Scotia - the Executives of Emera - partied hearty - no expense spared.
Even their Premier made the following comments as quoted by CBC - Nova Scotia
"This was a time when they should know that Nova Scotians are very concerned about the impact on their pocketbook of proposed rate increases. I don't think the timing could be any more unfortunate"
"[It] was ill advised and very poor judgment on behalf of the company."
The party was posh and for an elite group of 28 people. The party featured performances by Cape Breton comedian Maynard Morrison, the Halifax Titanic Orchestra, and the Mellotones, a popular band in Halifax.
Needless to say - Nova Scotian's are livid - some of the public commentary includes the following words to describe Emera:
1. corporate blood-suckers
2. greedy corporate elites
3. corporate Welfare Bums
4. bloated executive salaries
5. Emera and NSP....gawd they re like Tony Soprano nobody can control them
6. crime syndicate
That was part one of the story - the second part related to the NDP government allowing this behavior from the private power supplier.
The story reveals how Premier Dexter hitched a ride with Emera's leased corporate jet - to go where? Well right here to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The government then reimbursed $2100 to Emera for the Premier's jaunt.
The public commentary on the NDP has been equally as damning - here are a few examples:
1. Maybe Dexter should cut Emeras budget--he didn't mind doing it to health and education
2. This just demonstrates that the NDP is yet another corrupt party
3. We really need to get rid of Dexter as fast as we can
4. Dexter has the gloves off now --stand back -- Emera wins in a knockout
5. What a joke this government has become
6. Whatever Dexter....your not winning anyones vote this time...no excuses , we are sick of them
7. Well Darrell, you are also showing "very poor judgement" by ignoring the demand of your electorate to deal with Emera's pack of corporate pickpockets
The public also included significant commentary regarding the privatization of Nova Scotia Power - which occurred around the same time Clyde Wells and government tried to do it here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The regret is clear and it is easy to determine that the people of Nova Scotia are not pleased. They are also questioning the "leftist" NDP for not doing something about it now - including nationalizing the utility.
In Newfoundland and Labrador we stopped that fiasco and now Kathy Dunderdale, Danny Williams, and Dean MacDonald want us to become partners with Emera and have the joy of subsidizing more for these corporate elite.
This is not a project we should entertain or allow. We do not need to find ourselves in the same place Nova Scotian's are living through now.
The CBC in our province should do a bit of investigation on this story as well. First question - were there any Nalcor officials at the party?
Even their Premier made the following comments as quoted by CBC - Nova Scotia
"This was a time when they should know that Nova Scotians are very concerned about the impact on their pocketbook of proposed rate increases. I don't think the timing could be any more unfortunate"
"[It] was ill advised and very poor judgment on behalf of the company."
The party was posh and for an elite group of 28 people. The party featured performances by Cape Breton comedian Maynard Morrison, the Halifax Titanic Orchestra, and the Mellotones, a popular band in Halifax.
Needless to say - Nova Scotian's are livid - some of the public commentary includes the following words to describe Emera:
1. corporate blood-suckers
2. greedy corporate elites
3. corporate Welfare Bums
4. bloated executive salaries
5. Emera and NSP....gawd they re like Tony Soprano nobody can control them
6. crime syndicate
That was part one of the story - the second part related to the NDP government allowing this behavior from the private power supplier.
The story reveals how Premier Dexter hitched a ride with Emera's leased corporate jet - to go where? Well right here to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The government then reimbursed $2100 to Emera for the Premier's jaunt.
The public commentary on the NDP has been equally as damning - here are a few examples:
1. Maybe Dexter should cut Emeras budget--he didn't mind doing it to health and education
2. This just demonstrates that the NDP is yet another corrupt party
3. We really need to get rid of Dexter as fast as we can
4. Dexter has the gloves off now --stand back -- Emera wins in a knockout
5. What a joke this government has become
6. Whatever Dexter....your not winning anyones vote this time...no excuses , we are sick of them
7. Well Darrell, you are also showing "very poor judgement" by ignoring the demand of your electorate to deal with Emera's pack of corporate pickpockets
The public also included significant commentary regarding the privatization of Nova Scotia Power - which occurred around the same time Clyde Wells and government tried to do it here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The regret is clear and it is easy to determine that the people of Nova Scotia are not pleased. They are also questioning the "leftist" NDP for not doing something about it now - including nationalizing the utility.
In Newfoundland and Labrador we stopped that fiasco and now Kathy Dunderdale, Danny Williams, and Dean MacDonald want us to become partners with Emera and have the joy of subsidizing more for these corporate elite.
This is not a project we should entertain or allow. We do not need to find ourselves in the same place Nova Scotian's are living through now.
The CBC in our province should do a bit of investigation on this story as well. First question - were there any Nalcor officials at the party?
Friday, March 16, 2012
Cochrane and Simms do not Control Muskrat Debate!
Over the past couple of weeks some members of the media - commentators, reporters, and pundits appeared to have been dissuading people and politicians alike - from continued opposition to Muskrat Falls.
I have heard statements like - "nothing new" - which of course was the spin being promoted by Dunderdale and company.
I have a question for David Cochrane who carries himself like the head honcho of Newfoundland and Labrador "journalism". Have all the previously noted concerns been resolved?
The problem is that if a question - the same question - goes unanswered (satisfactorily) should one just stop asking?
From where I sit many questions asked from day one - have never been answered. The fact that Kennedy or Dunderdale open mouths and spew rhetoric does not mean an issue is resolved.
We are talking about 6-8 billion dollars of our money, the money of our children and grandchildren; we need to know if this project is the right one.
Some of the Unanswered Concerns:
1. What happens in 2041 and does this project have the potential to harm us in future dealings?
2. The need for power.
3. Alternatives.
4. Lowest Cost Alternative.
5. Labrador benefits.
6. Cheaper power for Nova Scotia.
7. Subsidization by Newfoundland and Labrador ratepayers.
8. The need of a partner.
9. Long-term jobs.
10. Potential for alternative industrial development.
The problem - as I see it - is the media who are demonstrably frustrated by the ongoing debate are those individuals who are not educated enough on the issue to ask the right questions or lack the guts to take on the governing PC's.
I have watched most of Cochrane's material and in my opinion - he lacks information or the desire to really challenge the "facts" the government puts forth.
Randy Simms - in my opinion does not have the knowledge to determine if something regarding the project has been answered satisfactorily.
If they are going to use the media power available to them - they must also appreciate the responsibility that goes with that. I do not see that concern in them - and therefore - in my opinion they are doing the province and its people a disservice.
Now of course I am assuming here that the media will not act like Dunderdale and Kennedy and condemn somebody for speaking up. I do know better however.
I have heard statements like - "nothing new" - which of course was the spin being promoted by Dunderdale and company.
I have a question for David Cochrane who carries himself like the head honcho of Newfoundland and Labrador "journalism". Have all the previously noted concerns been resolved?
The problem is that if a question - the same question - goes unanswered (satisfactorily) should one just stop asking?
From where I sit many questions asked from day one - have never been answered. The fact that Kennedy or Dunderdale open mouths and spew rhetoric does not mean an issue is resolved.
We are talking about 6-8 billion dollars of our money, the money of our children and grandchildren; we need to know if this project is the right one.
Some of the Unanswered Concerns:
1. What happens in 2041 and does this project have the potential to harm us in future dealings?
2. The need for power.
3. Alternatives.
4. Lowest Cost Alternative.
5. Labrador benefits.
6. Cheaper power for Nova Scotia.
7. Subsidization by Newfoundland and Labrador ratepayers.
8. The need of a partner.
9. Long-term jobs.
10. Potential for alternative industrial development.
The problem - as I see it - is the media who are demonstrably frustrated by the ongoing debate are those individuals who are not educated enough on the issue to ask the right questions or lack the guts to take on the governing PC's.
I have watched most of Cochrane's material and in my opinion - he lacks information or the desire to really challenge the "facts" the government puts forth.
Randy Simms - in my opinion does not have the knowledge to determine if something regarding the project has been answered satisfactorily.
If they are going to use the media power available to them - they must also appreciate the responsibility that goes with that. I do not see that concern in them - and therefore - in my opinion they are doing the province and its people a disservice.
Now of course I am assuming here that the media will not act like Dunderdale and Kennedy and condemn somebody for speaking up. I do know better however.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Will we be buying OUR Power from Emera next?
While PUB hearings continue on the "proposed" Muskrat Falls deal - Emera is humming along creeping further and further into Newfoundland and Labrador.
This "proposed" deal must just be words for show - similar to the "consumer (us)" PUB hearings that are underway - albeit controlled, manipulated, and interfered with.
Slowly but surely - the establishment that wanted to rid you of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro - are coming back to try again. We are going to be hammered and privatized.
Please read the story below from the Chronicle Herald:
Emera Utility Services Inc. announced Monday that it has acquired a Newfoundland company, establishing its first presence in that province.
Emera Utility Services has purchased Green’s Service Station Ltd., a utility line and communications construction, installation and maintenance business in Goobies, N.L.
A purchase price was not disclosed by the Nova Scotia company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Inc.
“We’re not going to disclose the purchase price, other than it is not material to Emera,” said Emera Utility Services president and chief operating officer Dan Muldoon in a phone interview.
While Emera Newfoundland & Labrador, a company developing a Maritime link associated with the Lower Churchill project, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Inc., Monday’s announced acquisition represents the first foray for Emera Utility Services into the Newfoundland market.
The company has facilities in Dartmouth, Truro, Sydney, Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Charlottetown.
The acquisition represented an opportunity for the company to find a new market to grow its business, Muldoon said.
“Part of our growth strategy over the last number of years has been to both diversify our lines of businesses as well as on a geographic basis,” he said.
“And Newfoundland is a logical step for us given the amount of future activity in transmission line construction that could happen in that province.”
What made Green’s attractive was that it focused on transmission line maintenance and construction, an area of growth targeted by Emera Utility Services.
“We were looking over there for a while and Green’s has been around for almost 30 years, has a very good, solid reputation for performing quality work and has good relationships with customers,” Muldoon said. “And we felt, of the companies over there, Green’s was the best one for us to acquire.”
As part of the transaction, the entire existing staff of 80 full- and part-time employees from Green’s, including founder and former president Vernon Smith, will join the Emera Utility Services team. Smith has been retained as the new managing director.
“It is a construction company so its staffing levels go up and down based on the amount of projects that they actually have currently underway,” Muldoon said.
While future growth in Newfoundland is planned, Muldoon said the company will focus on moving forward with Green’s.
“I think at this time we’re going to use the next number of weeks to actually integrate Green’s into our operations and get a position for the amount of current work that we have over there with the customers.
“We hope to grow the company based on what we think potentially could be a fair amount of work over there.”
_________________________________________________________________
So what's next? Will they be seeking all the maintenance from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's system? Will they be seeking to buy Newfoundland Power?
This Nova Scotia Company and a few wealthy investors want it all - right?
One thing for certain - the tone of the comments confirms that they think the deal on Muskrat is done and they are getting corporately bored - while our Premier puts on a show for the people.
Flip those utilities say the amigos. How long after Emera takes all what's here in power before HQ buys these assets out?
What a legacy for our children!
This "proposed" deal must just be words for show - similar to the "consumer (us)" PUB hearings that are underway - albeit controlled, manipulated, and interfered with.
Slowly but surely - the establishment that wanted to rid you of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro - are coming back to try again. We are going to be hammered and privatized.
Please read the story below from the Chronicle Herald:
Emera Utility Services Inc. announced Monday that it has acquired a Newfoundland company, establishing its first presence in that province.
Emera Utility Services has purchased Green’s Service Station Ltd., a utility line and communications construction, installation and maintenance business in Goobies, N.L.
A purchase price was not disclosed by the Nova Scotia company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Inc.
“We’re not going to disclose the purchase price, other than it is not material to Emera,” said Emera Utility Services president and chief operating officer Dan Muldoon in a phone interview.
While Emera Newfoundland & Labrador, a company developing a Maritime link associated with the Lower Churchill project, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Inc., Monday’s announced acquisition represents the first foray for Emera Utility Services into the Newfoundland market.
The company has facilities in Dartmouth, Truro, Sydney, Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Charlottetown.
The acquisition represented an opportunity for the company to find a new market to grow its business, Muldoon said.
“Part of our growth strategy over the last number of years has been to both diversify our lines of businesses as well as on a geographic basis,” he said.
“And Newfoundland is a logical step for us given the amount of future activity in transmission line construction that could happen in that province.”
What made Green’s attractive was that it focused on transmission line maintenance and construction, an area of growth targeted by Emera Utility Services.
“We were looking over there for a while and Green’s has been around for almost 30 years, has a very good, solid reputation for performing quality work and has good relationships with customers,” Muldoon said. “And we felt, of the companies over there, Green’s was the best one for us to acquire.”
As part of the transaction, the entire existing staff of 80 full- and part-time employees from Green’s, including founder and former president Vernon Smith, will join the Emera Utility Services team. Smith has been retained as the new managing director.
“It is a construction company so its staffing levels go up and down based on the amount of projects that they actually have currently underway,” Muldoon said.
While future growth in Newfoundland is planned, Muldoon said the company will focus on moving forward with Green’s.
“I think at this time we’re going to use the next number of weeks to actually integrate Green’s into our operations and get a position for the amount of current work that we have over there with the customers.
“We hope to grow the company based on what we think potentially could be a fair amount of work over there.”
_________________________________________________________________
So what's next? Will they be seeking all the maintenance from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's system? Will they be seeking to buy Newfoundland Power?
This Nova Scotia Company and a few wealthy investors want it all - right?
One thing for certain - the tone of the comments confirms that they think the deal on Muskrat is done and they are getting corporately bored - while our Premier puts on a show for the people.
Flip those utilities say the amigos. How long after Emera takes all what's here in power before HQ buys these assets out?
What a legacy for our children!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
A challenge to Dunderdale, Jones, and Michael - Are you serious about protecting our people and our resources?
The New Brunswick ruling PC Government and Premier, David Alward have introduced a referendum law in that province. This follows the failed attempt by Shawn Graham and his ousted Liberal government to sell crown owned NB Power to Hyrdo-Quebec.
At the time - then Opposition leader - Alward promised to deliver a referendum law so people could have a direct say on significant issues.
Two things come to mind here for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; Kathy Dunderdale should follow suit with her PC colleague in New Brunswick and offer the same democratic process for issues such as the development deal on the Lower Churchill and second - The Opposition Liberals and NDP should be demanding this process be enacted - particularly for the Lower Churchill development.
Kathy Dunderdale - a self-professed avid supporter that an unelected Premier should not be doing resource deals - has lost her way and believes that should not apply to her own circumstance. Further the deal has not undergone significant and necessary public scrutiny and debate - which would be available if a referendum process were used. If the Premier is so sure that this deal with Emera is so positive for our future - she would not hesitate to put it directly to us in the form of a direct question and vote. Dunderdale - unfortunately is relying on a general election - wherein she feels both Lorraine Michael and Yvonne Jones are too politically weak to fight.
This particular issue is very sensitive because of the failed contract on the Upper Churchill and the feeling of contempt toward Quebec each year the contract continues - and for Quebec's refusal to fairly negotiate on a transmission route. That is why the people need all the information on the deal with Emera, information on past negotiations with Quebec, and information relative to other options such as industrial development in Labrador.
If Shawn Skinner and Kathy Dunderdale are certain of the tremendous benefits they claim exist under the proposed deal - let them prove it out under a referendum process. If the Liberals and NDP want to help the people of the province and prove they are serious about becoming government - let them come up with a private members bill on referendums. Do something to protect the interests of our province and you may find that people would be willing to support you.
At the time - then Opposition leader - Alward promised to deliver a referendum law so people could have a direct say on significant issues.
Two things come to mind here for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; Kathy Dunderdale should follow suit with her PC colleague in New Brunswick and offer the same democratic process for issues such as the development deal on the Lower Churchill and second - The Opposition Liberals and NDP should be demanding this process be enacted - particularly for the Lower Churchill development.
Kathy Dunderdale - a self-professed avid supporter that an unelected Premier should not be doing resource deals - has lost her way and believes that should not apply to her own circumstance. Further the deal has not undergone significant and necessary public scrutiny and debate - which would be available if a referendum process were used. If the Premier is so sure that this deal with Emera is so positive for our future - she would not hesitate to put it directly to us in the form of a direct question and vote. Dunderdale - unfortunately is relying on a general election - wherein she feels both Lorraine Michael and Yvonne Jones are too politically weak to fight.
This particular issue is very sensitive because of the failed contract on the Upper Churchill and the feeling of contempt toward Quebec each year the contract continues - and for Quebec's refusal to fairly negotiate on a transmission route. That is why the people need all the information on the deal with Emera, information on past negotiations with Quebec, and information relative to other options such as industrial development in Labrador.
If Shawn Skinner and Kathy Dunderdale are certain of the tremendous benefits they claim exist under the proposed deal - let them prove it out under a referendum process. If the Liberals and NDP want to help the people of the province and prove they are serious about becoming government - let them come up with a private members bill on referendums. Do something to protect the interests of our province and you may find that people would be willing to support you.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
We are so Lucky that the Filthy Rich will work for Free
Have we really sunk this low?
Our democracy in both Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador is at risk - and ironically at a time when countries that have suffered decades of dictators are struggling, fighting, and giving their lives to achieve freedom.
Oh we should be ashamed as our people have already paid the price to achieve this precarious assembly of rights and freedoms that we allow our politicians to so recklessly dismantle it. And what is our response? Apathy and a feeling of hopelessness or just laziness - as we let others make decisions so threatening to our future.
We are lead around by a partisan harness ready to jump on anybody for trying to protect the future of our children - who are depending on our participation for their very survival. Whose responsibility is it to ensure proper development of precious natural resources? We cannot respond - that is what we elect governments for - what if that government is not acting in our best interests? How would we know?
Today - we are witnessing such abhorrent behavior like the patronage appointment of Elizabeth Matthews - following a string of many years of such appointments to various government posts. We are witnessing contracts to Williams old law firm and fibre-optic presents. Federally we have a Prime Minister who lied to this province and now a Prime Minister who leads a party that broke the law - regarding of all things the Elections Act.
These people - your governments and political representatives no longer respect the people. They treat us like fools - they treat us with disdain - they treat us as an unfortunate blockage between natural resources we own and the multi-millionaires who want every piece of it.
Who do you believe would get a meeting first - one of us people or a corporation wanting a piece of the action?
We are only necessary to flock like sheep to the polling booth election after election - so that when the polls close the faceless nameless greed can start up again and enjoy sipping from our wealth served in great portions by the people we elect to represent us.
How much is enough? It is never enough - these leaches will not stop sucking until every drip of life is taken from this wonderful place. They will not stop - they will send in lobbyists, or set-up one of their own to do their bidding in the peoples House of Assembly. They will crawl around in the backrooms of arrogant power - at all times trying to separate you from your future in order that they may take it.
We have people in this province who do not have two nickels to rub together - struggling week over week - but will trip over each other to go cheer for some politician or another.
We have half a million people living here and probably many times more than that who have been forced to leave their home to find work while filthy rich "shareholders" sit in ivory towers somewhere counting our wealth - that has been shuffled to their pockets.
We have been stripped of our forests, fish, water resources (hydro), minerals, communities, and people. We have been stripped of our pride and through social experimentation by people like Dr. Doug House slowly disappointed - just slow enough to avoid a political uprising.
I remember when the Liberals privatized a good number of our provincial parks. Natural areas of leisure for our families - built by the taxpayers and then unceremoniously dumped to the private sector who now treat these vast tracks of land and natural wealth as their own. Oh boy - Tom Osborne went off his head - he vowed to get them back. I guess that did not happen - I'm surprised the rest of the pristine areas have not yet been turned over to golf enthusiasts.
How much did it cost to buy the Southlands? How much was the Wilds turned over for? How much is enough? They will never have enough and now they are after more rivers - more power - they will want money from you to fish in a pond or pick a berry on the barrens. They will take and take and take - while we are expected to worship the filthy rich while they continue to work for "free". Free indeed - stop this now or you will not own the bit of ground you walk on - or the water that either surrounds you wholly or as a peninsula.
Any body catch the Minister of Fisheries today? Every day - day in - day out - they continue to walk over us until there is nothing left. Are you sure you want that outcome?
Our democracy in both Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador is at risk - and ironically at a time when countries that have suffered decades of dictators are struggling, fighting, and giving their lives to achieve freedom.
Oh we should be ashamed as our people have already paid the price to achieve this precarious assembly of rights and freedoms that we allow our politicians to so recklessly dismantle it. And what is our response? Apathy and a feeling of hopelessness or just laziness - as we let others make decisions so threatening to our future.
We are lead around by a partisan harness ready to jump on anybody for trying to protect the future of our children - who are depending on our participation for their very survival. Whose responsibility is it to ensure proper development of precious natural resources? We cannot respond - that is what we elect governments for - what if that government is not acting in our best interests? How would we know?
Today - we are witnessing such abhorrent behavior like the patronage appointment of Elizabeth Matthews - following a string of many years of such appointments to various government posts. We are witnessing contracts to Williams old law firm and fibre-optic presents. Federally we have a Prime Minister who lied to this province and now a Prime Minister who leads a party that broke the law - regarding of all things the Elections Act.
These people - your governments and political representatives no longer respect the people. They treat us like fools - they treat us with disdain - they treat us as an unfortunate blockage between natural resources we own and the multi-millionaires who want every piece of it.
Who do you believe would get a meeting first - one of us people or a corporation wanting a piece of the action?
We are only necessary to flock like sheep to the polling booth election after election - so that when the polls close the faceless nameless greed can start up again and enjoy sipping from our wealth served in great portions by the people we elect to represent us.
How much is enough? It is never enough - these leaches will not stop sucking until every drip of life is taken from this wonderful place. They will not stop - they will send in lobbyists, or set-up one of their own to do their bidding in the peoples House of Assembly. They will crawl around in the backrooms of arrogant power - at all times trying to separate you from your future in order that they may take it.
We have people in this province who do not have two nickels to rub together - struggling week over week - but will trip over each other to go cheer for some politician or another.
We have half a million people living here and probably many times more than that who have been forced to leave their home to find work while filthy rich "shareholders" sit in ivory towers somewhere counting our wealth - that has been shuffled to their pockets.
We have been stripped of our forests, fish, water resources (hydro), minerals, communities, and people. We have been stripped of our pride and through social experimentation by people like Dr. Doug House slowly disappointed - just slow enough to avoid a political uprising.
I remember when the Liberals privatized a good number of our provincial parks. Natural areas of leisure for our families - built by the taxpayers and then unceremoniously dumped to the private sector who now treat these vast tracks of land and natural wealth as their own. Oh boy - Tom Osborne went off his head - he vowed to get them back. I guess that did not happen - I'm surprised the rest of the pristine areas have not yet been turned over to golf enthusiasts.
How much did it cost to buy the Southlands? How much was the Wilds turned over for? How much is enough? They will never have enough and now they are after more rivers - more power - they will want money from you to fish in a pond or pick a berry on the barrens. They will take and take and take - while we are expected to worship the filthy rich while they continue to work for "free". Free indeed - stop this now or you will not own the bit of ground you walk on - or the water that either surrounds you wholly or as a peninsula.
Any body catch the Minister of Fisheries today? Every day - day in - day out - they continue to walk over us until there is nothing left. Are you sure you want that outcome?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Shall we take the Premier at His (Danny Williams) Words?
Have a good look. Tremendous huh?
I believe his decision to leave was already made what do you think?
I think the the following sub-quote by Danny says exactly what he meant to say.
An ebullient Danny Williams says the Lower Churchill deal he signed Thursday is so good, he would put his own money on the line.
Is that what he did? If so how did he do that? So people if you want to make money on the Lower Churchill deal - simply take some of the couple hundred million you have around and invest it in Emera stock. If this deal goes through it might be the only way a Newfoundlander and Labradorian is going to make good money on it.
Then there is this quote:
"I would take my own money and put it in if I could."
Now that he can put his money in (left office) - has he? Was the deal so good for Emera - he actually left to do just that? It was an "unexpected" departure right? The chain of command was so set - that everybody else ran away from the leadership. And Kathy is "extremely" focused on ushering a deal through - that she is unable to debate.
Then there is this doozy:
"[Today] is the day, hopefully ... when Newfoundlanders can finally let go of the Upper Churchill and say, 'Done. It's over,'" said Williams, who then immediately added the fight over the Upper Churchill is not quite finished.
"A word of caution. We're not giving up on redress."
I would like a clarification - did Williams actually say "when Newfoundlanders..." and not say Labradorians?
Then there is the "let go of the Upper Churchill" and then right after that the fight is not finished and we're not giving up on redress.
He did give up did he not? He is finished fighting right? Who is the "we" he is talking about.
How about this statement in the House of Assembly while in Opposition - May 15-2002:
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Is it possible that we could help? Is it possible that there might be some positive help coming from a debate in this House of Assembly that could end up getting a better agreement, a better deal for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
Indeed I say - indeed.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Dunderdale celebrates Women (certain women) - two sides of the Premier's Mouth
"Premier Kathy Dunderdale says women have come a long way in the province. She was addressing women business leaders in the province Monday morning. Dunderdale told members of NLOWE a woman's status has come a long way in Newfoundland Labrador, from being unable to vote until 1925 to now having its first female Premier."
Above is a segment from a VOCM story today.
The only question I have for Kathy Dunderdale - what year can a woman expect to have the right to political beliefs and freedom of expression of thought and free speech - without another woman (premier) or her colleagues attempting to shut them up?
Kathy - there are strong women in this province and as long as they follow you - agree with everything you do - agree with everything you say - they will be celebrated or patronized by you. If a strong woman has an opinion different than yours - or if she believes that actions you and your government are taking will impair the future of our children - you do not support her right to that open debate and discussion.
Do not speak out of two sides of your mouth and do not say one thing and do another and expect any respect from the electorate you wish to represent. You do not celebrate women - you celebrate women who support you. That is not liberation - it is petty partisan behavior that does more to eliminate those rights - that others fought so hard to secure and protect.
Lest we Forget.
I can guarantee you that when I make comments and critique your policies - it is based on years of research and factual material. Let me remind you - this Lower Churchill proposed development that you and Ed Martin are so keen to push at any opportunity - is being done through Nalcor - that fabulous company saved by people like me - who fought for three years to protect it from privatization (no charge). I would be happy to debate you on this issue anytime - anywhere - in public where people can assess the arguments we present and the positions we hold.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fighting the shadow - which is the establishment.
Every time Sue's Blog posts - somebody gets annoyed at the political or establishment level. The big corps and the shareholders do not want an interference with their plundering of our future - so a few may get richer and richer. The politicians - controlled by lobbying influence - or worse - simply want me to go away. They wished I did not speak and certainly did not have an open discussion on what is public money, resources, and policy. They are not spending their own personal money they are spending ours. They are not negotiating the sale of their house but rather resources that are owned by the people for the benefit of the people.
Invariably one of them gets a Solid Gold idea and sends shots across my bow. They do not care how they do it or who they harm - they simply just do it.
For four years now they have been rid of me and apparently do not like that I am back. All they have accomplished is the gathering of four years of information and data - that the public does need to know and discuss.
This time when they take a smack - just is well they threw it at themselves. I'm not staying quiet - in fact I am just gearing up. The people deserve open and frank dialogue on issues and resources that affect them. For those of you that do not believe intimidation is alive and well - just means you have not crossed them - in any significant way.
These bullies will come at you whatever way they can. They directly interefere with your employment and anything else that power and money wants. You have heard government employees in the past talk about how they feared speaking up or whistle blowing. This has not changed and that is why we end up with travesties such as the Mount Cashel affair, the Breast Cancer Inquiry, and no doubt some of things John Noseworthy - the provinces Auditor General has in his report issued today or economic catastrophies like the Upper Churchill. I'm sure Cabana just got a little taste as somebody showed up at the door of his house - because he wanted to run for the leadership of a party - which was inconvenient for the party brass.
During the privatization of hydro attempt - when I was still a relatively young woman - I was slandered, telephoned, and "spoken to" - and even today the proponents of that idea and the business people who wanted to make a killing on your assets - continue to hold against me - that I fought that proposed giveaway.
These Solid Gold ideas need to be overhauled and these people need to understand - you can try and silence your critics or those who stand in the way of elite shareholders getting all that they can pocket - but not this time.
The idea that tens of millions - hundreds of millions - billions might be just a government policy away - does not mean you should count those chickens before they hatch. And by the way - as most Newfoundland and Labrador adults have said "grow up out of it".
For the readers any stories you want to pass along - you can do so anonymously, I'm sure there's a good few out there. Remember now - be a team player. That's what Fabian Manning did - he's in the Senate or Beth Marshall - when after Danny demoted her through interference - shutup and was a good tory - she's in the Senate. You should see what it takes to hold a politcal job. Get some popcorn and enjoy the feature.
Invariably one of them gets a Solid Gold idea and sends shots across my bow. They do not care how they do it or who they harm - they simply just do it.
For four years now they have been rid of me and apparently do not like that I am back. All they have accomplished is the gathering of four years of information and data - that the public does need to know and discuss.
This time when they take a smack - just is well they threw it at themselves. I'm not staying quiet - in fact I am just gearing up. The people deserve open and frank dialogue on issues and resources that affect them. For those of you that do not believe intimidation is alive and well - just means you have not crossed them - in any significant way.
These bullies will come at you whatever way they can. They directly interefere with your employment and anything else that power and money wants. You have heard government employees in the past talk about how they feared speaking up or whistle blowing. This has not changed and that is why we end up with travesties such as the Mount Cashel affair, the Breast Cancer Inquiry, and no doubt some of things John Noseworthy - the provinces Auditor General has in his report issued today or economic catastrophies like the Upper Churchill. I'm sure Cabana just got a little taste as somebody showed up at the door of his house - because he wanted to run for the leadership of a party - which was inconvenient for the party brass.
During the privatization of hydro attempt - when I was still a relatively young woman - I was slandered, telephoned, and "spoken to" - and even today the proponents of that idea and the business people who wanted to make a killing on your assets - continue to hold against me - that I fought that proposed giveaway.
These Solid Gold ideas need to be overhauled and these people need to understand - you can try and silence your critics or those who stand in the way of elite shareholders getting all that they can pocket - but not this time.
The idea that tens of millions - hundreds of millions - billions might be just a government policy away - does not mean you should count those chickens before they hatch. And by the way - as most Newfoundland and Labrador adults have said "grow up out of it".
For the readers any stories you want to pass along - you can do so anonymously, I'm sure there's a good few out there. Remember now - be a team player. That's what Fabian Manning did - he's in the Senate or Beth Marshall - when after Danny demoted her through interference - shutup and was a good tory - she's in the Senate. You should see what it takes to hold a politcal job. Get some popcorn and enjoy the feature.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Imagine that - the more we giveaway the richer Emera shareholders become
Emera's Labrador power deal a "game changer"...
The following excerpt is from a Globe and Mail article November 2010
He said Emera would reap a windfall in transmission fees if Nalcor can sell its full surplus electricity into New Brunswick and the United States while its Nova Scotia Power subsidiary earns a guaranteed rate of return for selling 20 per cent of the power to its own customers. Nalcor and Emera expect that as much as 40 per cent of the 800-megawatt capacity for the Muskrat Falls development will be available for sale outside the two provinces.
Analysts expect Emera will see a boost to its earnings per share as a result of the deal. Petro Panarites of CIBC World Markets raised his target price for the company’s shares based on a higher earnings forecast, though he cautioned there are still hurdles before the success of the project can be guaranteed.
However, the success of the deal depends greatly on government climate change policies, and on the willingness of voters to absorb higher electricity prices as utilities phase out lower-cost coal- and oil-fired generation and replace it with hydro and other renewables.
Imagine that the more power and thereby industry we can dump into other jurisdictions the more of a windfall for Emera. I think the headline says it all. They already see their (Emera shareholders) future is that resource they call Labrador power. This deal will ruin the future potential for the next two generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The time for debate on this is now. We have several months to force this issue and we will. Each and every day more information will come out on the extent of this giveaway. This time we must say no and not sit back and wait for our grandchildren talk about this deal the same way our generation talks about the Upper Churchill deal.
On the Tory leadership debacle - the wrong is so obvious that we really must focus on what's important - not whether or not Kathy Dunderdale will personally and professionally prevail. When set against the backdrop of our children's future - frankly my dear I don't give a damn.
The following excerpt is from a Globe and Mail article November 2010
He said Emera would reap a windfall in transmission fees if Nalcor can sell its full surplus electricity into New Brunswick and the United States while its Nova Scotia Power subsidiary earns a guaranteed rate of return for selling 20 per cent of the power to its own customers. Nalcor and Emera expect that as much as 40 per cent of the 800-megawatt capacity for the Muskrat Falls development will be available for sale outside the two provinces.
Analysts expect Emera will see a boost to its earnings per share as a result of the deal. Petro Panarites of CIBC World Markets raised his target price for the company’s shares based on a higher earnings forecast, though he cautioned there are still hurdles before the success of the project can be guaranteed.
However, the success of the deal depends greatly on government climate change policies, and on the willingness of voters to absorb higher electricity prices as utilities phase out lower-cost coal- and oil-fired generation and replace it with hydro and other renewables.
Imagine that the more power and thereby industry we can dump into other jurisdictions the more of a windfall for Emera. I think the headline says it all. They already see their (Emera shareholders) future is that resource they call Labrador power. This deal will ruin the future potential for the next two generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The time for debate on this is now. We have several months to force this issue and we will. Each and every day more information will come out on the extent of this giveaway. This time we must say no and not sit back and wait for our grandchildren talk about this deal the same way our generation talks about the Upper Churchill deal.
On the Tory leadership debacle - the wrong is so obvious that we really must focus on what's important - not whether or not Kathy Dunderdale will personally and professionally prevail. When set against the backdrop of our children's future - frankly my dear I don't give a damn.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Why Newfoundland and Labrador should look at who's going to pay for Emera Deal
Latest news on Emera! The story below from the Chronicle Herald yesterday!
Nova Scotia Power customers are being asked to pay for an untendered $25-million construction contract, along with a $1-million bonus, to an affiliate of its parent company, Emera Inc. The contract is for the development of the Digby wind farm.
The utility has failed to get the lowest price for its customers, John Merrick, Nova Scotia’s consumer advocate, said during the first day of a hearing before the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
"I’m not sure they kicked the tires hard enough to make sure they got that best possible price," Merrick told reporters outside the hearing room. "Nova Scotia Power really has to be thinking about the ratepayers and not just (Emera) shareholders."
Nova Scotia Power customers are being asked to pay for an untendered $25-million construction contract, along with a $1-million bonus, to an affiliate of its parent company, Emera Inc. The contract is for the development of the Digby wind farm.
The utility has failed to get the lowest price for its customers, John Merrick, Nova Scotia’s consumer advocate, said during the first day of a hearing before the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
"I’m not sure they kicked the tires hard enough to make sure they got that best possible price," Merrick told reporters outside the hearing room. "Nova Scotia Power really has to be thinking about the ratepayers and not just (Emera) shareholders."
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro under Privatization attack again!
Over the next few days and weeks we will see who is Emera and what are they after. the same people who wanted to privatize Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro before have started again using a different strategy.
What was Danny Williams position on the privatization of hydro the last go round?
Where is he now?
During the privatization of utilities fiasco over a decade age - Nova Scotia unlike newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, BC, and New Brunswick - Nova Scotia Power did the deal and created EMERA. Please read the commentary below by a NUPGE rep.
Nova Scotia Power - Emera the latest privatization nightmare
One disaster after another since utility was sold 12 years ago
Halifax - Need another privatization nightmare? Try Nova Scotia Power Inc.
Privatized by provincial politicians 12 years ago amid promises of better, cheaper and more reliable service, the utility has presided over one disaster after another since then.
What was Danny Williams position on the privatization of hydro the last go round?
Where is he now?
During the privatization of utilities fiasco over a decade age - Nova Scotia unlike newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, BC, and New Brunswick - Nova Scotia Power did the deal and created EMERA. Please read the commentary below by a NUPGE rep.
Nova Scotia Power - Emera the latest privatization nightmare
One disaster after another since utility was sold 12 years ago
Halifax - Need another privatization nightmare? Try Nova Scotia Power Inc.
Privatized by provincial politicians 12 years ago amid promises of better, cheaper and more reliable service, the utility has presided over one disaster after another since then.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Vote against "giveaway" mentality and
I am entitled to my entitlements...
This morning I found out a Liberal is running in my district. Joining Tom Osbourne - incumbent and Clyde Bridger for the NDP is Rex Gibbons.
Well St. John's South - you now have the opportunity to get rid of the remaining vestiges of the "giveaway" mentality.
It is time to tell Rex Gibbons again that attempting to privatize Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro was not only a bad idea (and still is) - but it would have dramatically increased our electric bills - denied the province of hundreds of millions of revenues - and eliminated a great asset owned by our children and one which has become the core of our new energy corporation.
It is time for Rex to retire - and the policies he espouses should retire with him. His take on energy is not only naive it is dangerous - as it would continue to turn over our resources to billion dollar multi-nationals with less than maximum return to us - the people.
It is time to send the Liberal Party a message - that if they want to attract new ideas and people - the front-line must move to the back. If the party is to be rebuilt for 2011 - then Rex Gibbons - Walter Noel - Scott Andrews - Danny Dumaresque - John Efford - Roger Grimes and Norm Whelan have to relinquish the stranglehold they have on its future. You see when the Party President and Campaign Chair have to run - the Libs are no longer membership driven - they are desperate to return to the "glory days" of Clyde Wells and Brian Tobin for their own satisfaction. When you think about it - would Danny Williams want it any other way? For as much as Danny has become a folk hero the Liberals have become a folk villain.
This is not a case of taking one for the party when it is down - this is "it's my party" and nobody else is allowed to come. They will cling to their pathetic grasp of power by the fingernails - until finally it is all gone. They will take the party down further rather than relinquish their self-appointed titles (including the leadership). For them watching new people take the helm is painful - they should take that out on Tobin - not the party or the people.
St. John's South is in a wonderful position to say - we reject your giveaway mentality and we reject a party that is a social club for a few wannabes and hangers-on.
Rex Gibbons will not get my vote.
I have never heard from Rex - that privatizing Hydro - would have been a bad idea - have you?
This morning I found out a Liberal is running in my district. Joining Tom Osbourne - incumbent and Clyde Bridger for the NDP is Rex Gibbons.
Well St. John's South - you now have the opportunity to get rid of the remaining vestiges of the "giveaway" mentality.
It is time to tell Rex Gibbons again that attempting to privatize Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro was not only a bad idea (and still is) - but it would have dramatically increased our electric bills - denied the province of hundreds of millions of revenues - and eliminated a great asset owned by our children and one which has become the core of our new energy corporation.
It is time for Rex to retire - and the policies he espouses should retire with him. His take on energy is not only naive it is dangerous - as it would continue to turn over our resources to billion dollar multi-nationals with less than maximum return to us - the people.
It is time to send the Liberal Party a message - that if they want to attract new ideas and people - the front-line must move to the back. If the party is to be rebuilt for 2011 - then Rex Gibbons - Walter Noel - Scott Andrews - Danny Dumaresque - John Efford - Roger Grimes and Norm Whelan have to relinquish the stranglehold they have on its future. You see when the Party President and Campaign Chair have to run - the Libs are no longer membership driven - they are desperate to return to the "glory days" of Clyde Wells and Brian Tobin for their own satisfaction. When you think about it - would Danny Williams want it any other way? For as much as Danny has become a folk hero the Liberals have become a folk villain.
This is not a case of taking one for the party when it is down - this is "it's my party" and nobody else is allowed to come. They will cling to their pathetic grasp of power by the fingernails - until finally it is all gone. They will take the party down further rather than relinquish their self-appointed titles (including the leadership). For them watching new people take the helm is painful - they should take that out on Tobin - not the party or the people.
St. John's South is in a wonderful position to say - we reject your giveaway mentality and we reject a party that is a social club for a few wannabes and hangers-on.
Rex Gibbons will not get my vote.
I have never heard from Rex - that privatizing Hydro - would have been a bad idea - have you?
Monday, September 24, 2007
Windy future for Energy Policy
As much as all of us get annoyed from time to time with our power bill - at least we have get a bit of it back through our ownership of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
Danny Williams - Gerry Reid - and Lorraine Michael appear to be uninterested in the latest energy projects in the province - wind.
The last great announcement by the Premier was a wind project - owned in part by the Government of Italy - with a power contract that has not been made public. We know we are paying for it - and lately all of the political parties are jumping on board claiming that the Holyrood fiasco might disappear or be substantially reduced by wind energy.
Of course none of them seem to care that piecemeal privatization of generation is occurring with potential "windfall" profits going to support education and health in Italy. We are consumers - however - should be worried about something more.
The Energy Plan mentioned our electrical grid and its inability - without upgrade - to handle much more input into the grid of wind supplements.
Have a look at some statements made by Eric Rosenbloom - Science Editor in Vermont.
In 1998, Norway commissioned a study of wind power in Denmark and concluded that it has "serious environmental effects, insufficient production, and high production costs."
Denmark (population 5.3 million) has over 6,000 turbines that produced electricity equal to 19% of what the country used in 2002. Yet no conventional power plant has been shut down. Because of the intermittency and variability of the wind, conventional power plants must be kept running at full capacity to meet the actual demand for electricity.
The head of Xcel Energy in the U.S., Wayne Brunetti, has said, "We're a big supporter of wind, but at the time when customers have the greatest needs, it's typically not available." Throughout Europe, wind turbines produced on average less than 20% of their theoretical (or rated) capacity. The Searsburg plant in Vermont averages 21%, declining every year. This percentage is called the load factor or capacity factor. The rated generating capacity only occurs during 100% ideal conditions, typically a sustained wind speed over 30 mph. As the wind slows, electricity output falls off exponentially.
In high winds, ironically, the turbines must be stopped because they are easily damaged. Build-up of dead bugs has been shown to halve the maximum power generated by a wind turbine, reducing the average power generated by 25% and more. Build-up of salt on off-shore turbine blades similarly has been shown to reduce the power generated by 20%-30%.
Germany -- from Der Spiegel
"Windmühlen-Wahn: Von umweltfreundlicher Energie zur subventionierten Landschaftszerstörung"
( The madness about wind turbines: from the dream of environmentally friendly energy to highly subsidized destruction of the countryside )
Christopher Dutton, the CEO of Green Mountain Power, a partner in the Searsburg wind farm in Vermont and an advocate of alternative energy sources, has said (in an interview with Montpelier's The Bridge) that there is no way that wind power can replace more traditional sources, that its value is only as a supplemental source that has no impact on the base load supply. "By its very nature, it's unreliable," says Jay Morrison, senior regulatory counsel for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
FPL Energy says it requires 40 acres per installed megawatt, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says 60 acres is likely. Facilities worldwide generally use 30-70 acres per megawatt, i.e., about 120-280 acres for every megawatt of likely average output (25% capacity factor).
Click Here to see the area impacted per MW of power
Especially vulnerable are large birds of prey that like to fly in the same sorts of places that developers like to construct wind towers. Fog -- a common situation on mountain ridges -- aggravates the problem for all birds.
As Country Guardian, a U.K. conservation group, puts it, wind farms constitute an increase in energy supply, not a replacement. They do not reduce the costs -- environmental, economic, and political -- of other means of energy production. If wind towers do not reduce conventional power use, then their manufacture, transport, and construction only increases the use of dirty energy. The presence of "free and green" wind power may even give people license to use more energy.
and then last but not least:
Despite their being cited as the shining example of what can be accomplished with wind power, the Danish government has cancelled plans for three offshore wind farms planned for 2008 and has scheduled the withdrawal of subsidies from existing sites. Development of onshore wind plants in Denmark has effectively stopped. Because Danish companies dominate the wind industry, however, the government is under pressure to continue their support. Spain began withdrawing subsidies in 2002. Germany reduced the tax breaks to wind power, and domestic construction drastically slowed in 2004. Switzerland also is cutting subsidies as too expensive for the lack of significant benefit. The Netherlands decommissioned 90 turbines in 2004. Many Japanese utilities severely limit the amount of wind-generated power they buy, because of the instability they cause. For the same reason, Ireland in December 2003 halted all new wind-power connections to the national grid. In early 2005, they were considering ending state support. In 2005, Spanish utilities began refusing new wind power connections. In 2006, the Spanish government ended -- by emergency decree -- its subsidies and price supports for big wind. In 2004, Australia reduced the level of renewable energy that utilities are required to buy, dramatically slowing wind-project applications. On August 31, 2004, Bloomberg News reported that "the unstable flow of wind power in their networks" has forced German utilities to buy more expensive energy, requiring them to raise prices for the consumer.
Communities in Germany, Wales, and Ireland claim that even 3,000 feet away the noise is significant. Individuals around the world say they have to close their windows and turn on the air conditioner when the wind turbines are active. The noise of a wind plant in Ireland was measured in 2002 at 60 dB 1 km (3,280 ft) upwind. The subaural low-frequency noise was above 70 dB (which is 10 times as loud on the logarithmic decibel scale). A German study in 2003 found significant noise levels 1 mile away from a 2-year-old wind farm of 17 1.8-MW turbines, especially at night.
Read the whole paper here!
Danny Williams - Gerry Reid - and Lorraine Michael appear to be uninterested in the latest energy projects in the province - wind.
The last great announcement by the Premier was a wind project - owned in part by the Government of Italy - with a power contract that has not been made public. We know we are paying for it - and lately all of the political parties are jumping on board claiming that the Holyrood fiasco might disappear or be substantially reduced by wind energy.
Of course none of them seem to care that piecemeal privatization of generation is occurring with potential "windfall" profits going to support education and health in Italy. We are consumers - however - should be worried about something more.
The Energy Plan mentioned our electrical grid and its inability - without upgrade - to handle much more input into the grid of wind supplements.
Have a look at some statements made by Eric Rosenbloom - Science Editor in Vermont.
Wind power promises a clean and free source of electricity. It will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and reduce the output of greenhouse gases and other pollution. Many governments are therefore promoting the construction of vast wind "farms," encouraging private companies with generous subsidies and regulatory support, requiring utilities to buy from them, and setting up markets for the trade of "green credits" in addition to actual energy.
A German Energy Agency study released in February 2005 after some delay [click here] stated that increasing the amount of wind power would increase consumer costs 3.7 times and that the theoretical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved much more cheaply by simply installing filters on existing fossil-fuel plants.
In 1998, Norway commissioned a study of wind power in Denmark and concluded that it has "serious environmental effects, insufficient production, and high production costs."
Denmark (population 5.3 million) has over 6,000 turbines that produced electricity equal to 19% of what the country used in 2002. Yet no conventional power plant has been shut down. Because of the intermittency and variability of the wind, conventional power plants must be kept running at full capacity to meet the actual demand for electricity.
The head of Xcel Energy in the U.S., Wayne Brunetti, has said, "We're a big supporter of wind, but at the time when customers have the greatest needs, it's typically not available." Throughout Europe, wind turbines produced on average less than 20% of their theoretical (or rated) capacity. The Searsburg plant in Vermont averages 21%, declining every year. This percentage is called the load factor or capacity factor. The rated generating capacity only occurs during 100% ideal conditions, typically a sustained wind speed over 30 mph. As the wind slows, electricity output falls off exponentially.
In high winds, ironically, the turbines must be stopped because they are easily damaged. Build-up of dead bugs has been shown to halve the maximum power generated by a wind turbine, reducing the average power generated by 25% and more. Build-up of salt on off-shore turbine blades similarly has been shown to reduce the power generated by 20%-30%.
Germany -- from Der Spiegel"Windmühlen-Wahn: Von umweltfreundlicher Energie zur subventionierten Landschaftszerstörung"
( The madness about wind turbines: from the dream of environmentally friendly energy to highly subsidized destruction of the countryside )
Christopher Dutton, the CEO of Green Mountain Power, a partner in the Searsburg wind farm in Vermont and an advocate of alternative energy sources, has said (in an interview with Montpelier's The Bridge) that there is no way that wind power can replace more traditional sources, that its value is only as a supplemental source that has no impact on the base load supply. "By its very nature, it's unreliable," says Jay Morrison, senior regulatory counsel for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
FPL Energy says it requires 40 acres per installed megawatt, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says 60 acres is likely. Facilities worldwide generally use 30-70 acres per megawatt, i.e., about 120-280 acres for every megawatt of likely average output (25% capacity factor).
Click Here to see the area impacted per MW of power
Especially vulnerable are large birds of prey that like to fly in the same sorts of places that developers like to construct wind towers. Fog -- a common situation on mountain ridges -- aggravates the problem for all birds.
As Country Guardian, a U.K. conservation group, puts it, wind farms constitute an increase in energy supply, not a replacement. They do not reduce the costs -- environmental, economic, and political -- of other means of energy production. If wind towers do not reduce conventional power use, then their manufacture, transport, and construction only increases the use of dirty energy. The presence of "free and green" wind power may even give people license to use more energy.and then last but not least:
Despite their being cited as the shining example of what can be accomplished with wind power, the Danish government has cancelled plans for three offshore wind farms planned for 2008 and has scheduled the withdrawal of subsidies from existing sites. Development of onshore wind plants in Denmark has effectively stopped. Because Danish companies dominate the wind industry, however, the government is under pressure to continue their support. Spain began withdrawing subsidies in 2002. Germany reduced the tax breaks to wind power, and domestic construction drastically slowed in 2004. Switzerland also is cutting subsidies as too expensive for the lack of significant benefit. The Netherlands decommissioned 90 turbines in 2004. Many Japanese utilities severely limit the amount of wind-generated power they buy, because of the instability they cause. For the same reason, Ireland in December 2003 halted all new wind-power connections to the national grid. In early 2005, they were considering ending state support. In 2005, Spanish utilities began refusing new wind power connections. In 2006, the Spanish government ended -- by emergency decree -- its subsidies and price supports for big wind. In 2004, Australia reduced the level of renewable energy that utilities are required to buy, dramatically slowing wind-project applications. On August 31, 2004, Bloomberg News reported that "the unstable flow of wind power in their networks" has forced German utilities to buy more expensive energy, requiring them to raise prices for the consumer.
Communities in Germany, Wales, and Ireland claim that even 3,000 feet away the noise is significant. Individuals around the world say they have to close their windows and turn on the air conditioner when the wind turbines are active. The noise of a wind plant in Ireland was measured in 2002 at 60 dB 1 km (3,280 ft) upwind. The subaural low-frequency noise was above 70 dB (which is 10 times as loud on the logarithmic decibel scale). A German study in 2003 found significant noise levels 1 mile away from a 2-year-old wind farm of 17 1.8-MW turbines, especially at night.
Read the whole paper here!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Can't vote Liberal - Energy Policy by Gibbons and Dumeresque
Voting Liberal means returning to the energy policies of Clyde Wells and Rex Gibbons - PRIVATIZATION included and further deters any ownership of oil and gas projects. And worse he tries to dupe the media - or he does not understand the issue at all.
It's no secret that I have policy issues with the Premier. I support his move to acquire equity in the oil patch - but I do not support his failed fisheries policy - failed rural policies - and especially the suggestion that Lower Churchill power be exported. The "pamphlet" he calls an "energy plan" could have been written in a few nights by myself and a couple of energy zealots. Further it is an insult to Labradorians - simple as that.
I also don't like his style - the Führer comment that got him into an outrage - pontificating on hitting below the belt. The Premier says they will do the campaign without getting into "gutter" politics. The truth is - the man threatened civil servants - threatened to sue bloggers - and generally is a bully. He surrounds himself with "experts" as long as they are his buddies or past business partners.
I support his stand on removing non-renewable resource revenues from equalization - but he is doing nothing practical to make "Steve" live up to his promises.
He's just dragged out the joint management of the fishery again and his desire to see Canada take custodial management of the nose and tail of the Grand Banks - but oddly when Loyola Hearn reneged on this promise - he claimed Tom Rideout and the provincial government agreed with changes made to NAFO on surveillance and penalties. Then the whole works of them got rid of FPI - no equity there. This also includes the Liberals who did not want to upset some of the potential for political contributions.
But let's get to it.
Why then Gerry does Norway continue to take equity position? Why then Gerry does Norway continue to be a major shareholder in Norsk Hydro? How about this?
Norway has produced this year - a "simple" easy to follow "FACT" sheet on the petroleum sector. Here's a sample found in the document.
The government receives a large share of the value created through:
* Taxation of oil and gas activities
* Charges/fees
* Direct ownership in fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (through the State’s Direct Financial Interest, SDFI)
* Dividends from ownership in Statoil
Gerry - regardless of what Rex says - trying to sell the media that crap is bound to come back and bite you.
And Gerry - let me cut this off at the pass - on Hydro...
Just last month - and based on the current and future value of hydro-power the Government of Norway issues this News Release:
The right of reversion – The Government secures public ownership of hydropower
It says in part:
and
Voting Liberal means returning to the energy policies of Clyde Wells and Rex Gibbons - PRIVATIZATION - included and further deters any ownership of oil and gas projects. And that goes for Party President and Candidate Danny Dumeresque (another Clyde boy that promoted and apparently still does support the ideology of privatizing hydro).
It's no secret that I have policy issues with the Premier. I support his move to acquire equity in the oil patch - but I do not support his failed fisheries policy - failed rural policies - and especially the suggestion that Lower Churchill power be exported. The "pamphlet" he calls an "energy plan" could have been written in a few nights by myself and a couple of energy zealots. Further it is an insult to Labradorians - simple as that.
I also don't like his style - the Führer comment that got him into an outrage - pontificating on hitting below the belt. The Premier says they will do the campaign without getting into "gutter" politics. The truth is - the man threatened civil servants - threatened to sue bloggers - and generally is a bully. He surrounds himself with "experts" as long as they are his buddies or past business partners.
I support his stand on removing non-renewable resource revenues from equalization - but he is doing nothing practical to make "Steve" live up to his promises.
He's just dragged out the joint management of the fishery again and his desire to see Canada take custodial management of the nose and tail of the Grand Banks - but oddly when Loyola Hearn reneged on this promise - he claimed Tom Rideout and the provincial government agreed with changes made to NAFO on surveillance and penalties. Then the whole works of them got rid of FPI - no equity there. This also includes the Liberals who did not want to upset some of the potential for political contributions.
But let's get to it.
Gerry Reid has just added another piece of logic to his "no equity" policy. Now he says Norway just took equity because it needed to kick start it's offshore - in the same way that Canada did when it took equity in Hibernia.
Why then Gerry does Norway continue to take equity position? Why then Gerry does Norway continue to be a major shareholder in Norsk Hydro? How about this?
Norway has produced this year - a "simple" easy to follow "FACT" sheet on the petroleum sector. Here's a sample found in the document.
The government receives a large share of the value created through:
* Taxation of oil and gas activities
* Charges/fees
* Direct ownership in fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (through the State’s Direct Financial Interest, SDFI)
* Dividends from ownership in Statoil
The State’s Direct Financial Interest (SDFI) is an important source of state revenues, in addition to taxes, fees and dividends from its ownership in Statoil. SDFI is an arrangement in which the state owns interests in a number of oil and gas fields, pipelines and onshore facilities. Each government take is decided when production licences are awarded and the size of the state interest varies from field to field. As one of several owners, the state pays its share of investments and costs, and receives a corresponding share of the income from the production licence.
Gerry - regardless of what Rex says - trying to sell the media that crap is bound to come back and bite you.
And Gerry - let me cut this off at the pass - on Hydro...
Just last month - and based on the current and future value of hydro-power the Government of Norway issues this News Release:
The right of reversion – The Government secures public ownership of hydropower
It says in part:
Today, a provisional decree has been passed in the King’s Council with instant effect which is considered to bring the right of reversion in accordance with the ruling of the EFTA Court and the EEA agreement. It is stated that the basic principle of public ownership of the Norwegian hydropower resources at state, regional and local level is being maintained. It will no longer be given licenses for acquisition of waterfalls and hydropower plants to private actors. Such actors can, however, still own one third of public owned hydropower plants, Mr. Enoksen says.
and
I am very pleased that we have reached an arrangement which completely keeps our most important renewable resource on public hands. We maintain public ownership at state, county and municipal level and thus secure all public hydropower owners rights to the hydropower without time limits, Minister Odd Roger Enoksen states.
Voting Liberal means returning to the energy policies of Clyde Wells and Rex Gibbons - PRIVATIZATION - included and further deters any ownership of oil and gas projects. And that goes for Party President and Candidate Danny Dumeresque (another Clyde boy that promoted and apparently still does support the ideology of privatizing hydro).
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Ed Hollett has a point...
and wants your undivided attention.
So please read what he has to say in the comments section of Sue's Blog post A+ for Hebron MOU.
So please read what he has to say in the comments section of Sue's Blog post A+ for Hebron MOU.
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