WHEREAS British Columbia is recognized as a significant potential provider of clean and renewable energy production and private energy developers may have a role in mitigating the effects of climate change due to fossil fuel use by generating clean power through access to and use of public resources including navigable waters, rivers, forest lands and associated roads; AND WHEREAS without a comprehensive planning process, these resources may be developed in an inappropriate manner that fails to recognize potential significant adverse environmental, economic and social impacts: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the government of British Columbia to immediately enact a province wide integrated sustainable energy planning process to determine the need for the best technology to be used and any new siting of sustainable energy production.
Ministry of Energy, Mines Petroleum Resources The Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources has recently ordered the British Columbia BC Utilities Commission BCUC to undertake an inquiry under section 5 of the Utilities Commission Act relating to BCs electrical transmission infrastructure and capacity needs for a 30 year period. As part of this inquiry, the BCUC is required to assess the generation resources in BC that will potentially be developed over a 30 year period, grouped by geographic location, and to assess the most cost-effective and most probable sequence of development by geographic area of these generation resources. In making this assessment, the BCUC is required to take account of BCs electricity self-sufficiency and clean electricity goals. Local governments interested in participating in this inquiry should contact the Commission Secretary at Commission.Secretarybcuc.com or by phone 604 660-4700. A draft report setting out the Commissions determinations will be made available for public review by June 30, 2010.