Dear Editor:
For the third time in 30 years, 10,000 hectares of B.C.s most productive farm land is slated to be submerged in favour of a hydroelectric dam that would produce power no one really needs.
In a month from now, a decision will be made on BC Hydros proposed Site C dam on the Peace River. The 1,100-megawatt, $7.9-billion project would generate enough energy to power 450,000 homes, while flooding an 83-kilometre stretch of the Peace, plus 24 kilometres of tributary waterways.
Warm Pacific air flows into the Peace River valley, combining with long summer days and high-quality soil to make the area astoundingly productive for agriculture. More than half of the 4,523 hectares of agricultural land to be flooded is comprised of Class 1 and 2 soils.
A federal-provincial Joint Review Panel completed in May leaves Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Christy Clark with the final say on the project in late October. To the 22,000 residents of the Peace River region, the idea of Site C is even less popular than the concept of the Jumbo Glacier ski resort to many local residents. And the development of Site C would have a much more serious impact on the migration of animals up and down the Rocky Mountain Corridor than would a Jumbo ski resort.
Experts at the Joint Review Panel hearings indicated B.C. doesnt need the energy from Site C, and if we ever do, there are far cheaper sources from which to obtain it.
If youd rather see the Peace realize its agricultural potential than pay an even higher price for prosperity, let your MLA and your MP know where you stand. To learn more, go to www.sitecquiz.com.
Greg Amos
Invermere
