Site C dam approved by B.C. government

B.C. has approved the $8.8 billion Site C dam a massive hydroelectric project that would flood a large area of the Peace River Valley in northeasternB.C.

In making the announcement, Premier Christy Clark said the Site C Clean Energy Project will provide B.C. residents with a reliable source of power for the next 100 years for the least cost to the taxpayer.

• History:Site C dam: How we got here and what you need to know

Affordable, reliable, clean electricity is the backbone of British Columbias economy, said Clark. Site C will support our quality of life for decades to come and will enable continued investment and a growing economy.

Energy Minister Bill Bennett said B.C.s electricity rates are the third lowest in North Americaand the fourth lowest for commercial and industrial users.

But he said B.C.s population is expected toincrease by more than a million people and the province's electricity demand to grow by 40 per cent over the next 20 years

Even though Site C itself will only generate eight per cent of B.C.s total electricity needs, Bennett said it is a vital part of the overallelectricity plan.

He said no one knows what the cost of coal or natural gas will be over the next 20 years, and hydroelectric power has the advantage of being relatively clean.

First Nations, environmentalists, opposed

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is drawing a line in the sand declaring that Site C "will never see the light of day."

" We believe it to be an incredibly short-sighted and stupid decision,said Grand Chief Stewart Philip."It's not about the money. It's about the environment, it's about the land about constitutional rights, treaty rights and so on and so forth. It's about a way of life."

Treaty 8 First Nations, some of whom were displacedby the W.A.C Bennett dam when it was built, say they will fightconstruction of the Site C project.The hydroelectricproject would dramatically alter a large area of northeastern B.C. flooding more than 5,500 hectares of landover an 83-kilometre stretch of valley.

In a letter to the minister, they demand the governmentrepeal the Columbia River Treaty with the United States, which provides downstream benefits they say allow the U.S. to receive B.C. power at a fraction of its cost. They alsosaidB.C. couldfill its electricalneeds throughindependent power producers utilizing renewable solar, wind, water and geothermal energy.

The First Nations Summit, representing a majority of First Nations and Tribal Councils in B.C., issued a statement denouncing the decision, noting it will result in extensive flooding within the traditional territories of Treaty 8 nations.

"This approach is unacceptable and an affront to the cultivation of constructive government-to-government relations between the provincial government and BC First Nations," it said in a statement.

West Moberly First Nation Chief Roland Willson saidhis band is not opposed to resource development, buthis people don't want to see the flooding of this land, which has many sacred sites on it.

"We said no to the destruction of that valley it's the last chunk of valley that we have and it's vitally important," he said."We have to make a decision here that will haveimplications for many, many decades."

The Peace Valley Environment Association said B.C. had made the biggest mistake in its history, noting thatwith five court cases opposing Site C already under way, it will cost the government millions in legal fees and years in the courts

"At this time, it would make far more sense for BC to pause and develop an energy plan for the province. There is no rush to build Site C," it said.

BC Hydro estimatesSite C would generate anestimated 1,100 megawatts of capacity, or enough to power theequivalent of 450,000 homes.

Reaction on social media

CBC followed the reaction on social media to the government's announcement that it had approved the Site C dam.