Thursday, November 22, 2007
This resolution was passed at the British Columbia New Democratic Party Convention on Nov. 17:
BE IT RESOLVED that an NDP government will:
1. Restore the mandate and role of BC Hydro to operate and develop an integrated public utility including all the administrative and technical functions now outsourced.
2. Develop an alternative energy policy that realistically and accurately establishes our need for new electricity resources under public ownership and oversight and provides true self-sufficiency by allowing our public utility to develop future resources.
3. Allow BC Hydro to develop sustainable public power alternatives reflective of NDP policy and goals that reduce overall environmental impact, including greenhouse gas emissions, and also ensure control of BC’s valuable water, land and air resources stays in BC to the benefit of all British Columbians.
4. Recognize that BC Hydro’s hydroelectric generating stations and reservoirs are extraordinarily valuable assets that belong to the people of BC.
5. Phase out the unsustainable high subsidies (cheap power) to large industry that are unfair and counter to conservation efforts.
6. Develop a sustainable pricing plan and water rental policy that captures resource rents and reinvests them in infrastructure and sustainable economic development. regions which rely on heavily-subsidized industrial users will receive special attention; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the opposition NDP will:
1. Call for a moratorium on granting water licenses issued to develop private power projects and on the construction of all approved private Hydro projects, until a study of the economic, environmental, and community impacts can be completed; and
2. Call for a comprehensive regulatory, environmental and community review process, to examine the impacts of proposed power projects, in particular the low value, high priced run-of- the river projects.
3. Call for an immediate revision to BC’s water rental policy for new private power projects and private producers like Alcan and Teck Cominco, where we capture the full resource rents that are generated when they use their water rights for power sales.
4. Call for the immediate restoration of BC Hydro to operate and develop an integrated public utility including all the administrative and technical functions now outsourced; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the BC NDP demand that the BC government legislate all future electric generation back to the control of BC Hydro.
Originally submitted by:
VANCOUVER – HASTINGS
VANCOUVER - POINT GREY
VANCOUVER - LANGARA
SURREY - WHALLEY
PORT MOODY - WESTWOOD
BC FEDERATION OF LABOUR