RD backs temporary halt of projects
By Grant Warkentin - Campbell River Mirror - July 08, 2008

The regional district is calling for a moratorium on independent power generation projects until their potential impacts can be fully examined.
Recently the Strathcona Regional District board of directors passed a resolution to "support the call for a two-year moratorium on granting water licences, environmental permits and land tenures for the purpose
of developing private run-of-river or hydro power projects."
The resolution, approved unanimously by the board, according to the minutes says directors support the call for a moratorium because they want to see a "comprehensive regulatory, environmental and community review process."
The board's decision was influenced by a letter from the Sierra Club Quadra Island chapter and the Council of Canadians, the wording of their motion was taken from a letter from the citizens' groups.
In the letter, the groups provided eight reasons for opposing independent power projects, including fears of deregulation; questions of environmental impacts; and in order to maintain local control over
B.C.'s natural resources.
The letter was signed by Rich Hagensen of the Campbell River Council of Canadians.
"Many serious questions have been raised about the economic, environmental and social impact of these proposed private power
projects, as well as about the accuracy of the government's projections of our future power needs and neither local governments nor the residents of BC have been adequately consulted about the potential effect on them," says the letter and the regional district's
approved motion. "There will be little to no harm to the province from a short hiatus in developing these projects, and there is great
potential harm if our rivers are devastated and alienated from British Columbians."
The regional district voted to forward their motion to the Union of BC Municipalities to consider at its annual general meeting in fall.
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