ENERGY-CANADA: Wind vs. Water in Giant Dam Dispute

VANCOUVER, Sep 19 (IPS) – A controversial hydroelectricity expansion project in Quebec has drawn sharp criticism from aboriginal and environmental organisations on both sides of the Canadian-U.S. border.

Hydro Quebec’s main purpose for diverting the Rupert River in Northern Quebec is for hydro production in order to sell power to the northeastern United States.
U.S. environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defence Council, International Rivers Network, Friends of the Earth USA, the Sierra Club and Project Laundry List have joined in support of Canadian civil society organisations and three Cree communities who will be directly affected by the project. Many of the same groups were involved in convincing then New York governor Mario Cuomo to back out of a deal with Hydro Quebec in 1992 during discussions for an environmentally sensitive hydro expansion.

The river, once dammed, will form a massive reservoir equivalent in size to 67 percent of the city of Montreal, or half of New York City.

Dr. Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth USA, told IPS, “This is another gigantic scheme of Hydro Quebec to divert water with the goal of satisfying U.S. electricity gluttony. We have opposed large dams generally as a solution to global energy problems.”

“This project is a massive scheme to rearrange the river systems in Canada,” he said. “In James Bay, they put this process in motion by trying to dam some of North America’s greatest rivers. Canadians shouldn’t use American electricity demand as an excuse to develop a project that will be an environmental and human rights catastrophe.”

Inter Press Service