The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog
See our home page.(Our old blog on tripod.com is still active, but it is now also appended to the archives of this blog.)
Monday, December 11, 2006
from: Avi Chomsky
------
The Telegraph-Journal/From New Brunswick
As published on page A6 on December 6, 2006
Energy-producing game is dangerous
Regarding the article, "New power plant would supply U.S. export market"
(Telegraph-Journal, Nov. 28), it seems that Jack Keir is convinced the
building of another nuclear reactor or a coal-fired generator will be
needed to supply the eastern U.S. with power. My question to Premier Shawn
Graham is: why are these two sources of power the top contenders in the
energy-producing game?
Today 16 per cent of New Brunswick's power is produced by coal from
Colombia. A large portion of that coal comes from the largest open pit
mine in the world, the Cerrejon mine. It is documented that the Cerrejon
mine owners use violent force to expand the mining territory. Among other
ongoing human rights abuses is the 2002 bulldozing of a town called
Tabaco, including homes, a school, medical clinic and a church.
The villagers fought for compensation and the relocation of the community.
The Supreme Court of Colombia agreed, and ordered the mine owners to
compensate. No payment or rebuilding of any of the community has happened.
The other major source of energy mentioned in the article is nuclear power
from a second reactor. Canada still does not have a method of long-term
disposal/storage of the radioactive waste that has been produced since
nuclear plants first were built.
The government commissioned study completed November 2005 by Nuclear Waste
Management Organization has not given a definitive answer. Stating in
Chapter 9 of a 451 page report, "For any management approach selected. The
decision-making and implementation processes will unfold over many years."
Then there is the millions of dollars needed to implement and build a
facility to "safely" store the deadly waste. Has this been factored into
the price of electricity it generates? For these reasons and more, a
moratorium on new nuclear power plants makes sense.
Why is our government's utility risking the lives of people in Colombia
and the future safety of generations of children for millions of years?
TIM DEVLIN
Oak Bay
------------------------------ ------
The Telegraph-Journal/From New Brunswick
As published on page A6 on December 6, 2006
Energy-producing game is dangerous
Regarding the article, "New power plant would supply U.S. export market"
(Telegraph-Journal, Nov. 28), it seems that Jack Keir is convinced the
building of another nuclear reactor or a coal-fired generator will be
needed to supply the eastern U.S. with power. My question to Premier Shawn
Graham is: why are these two sources of power the top contenders in the
energy-producing game?
Today 16 per cent of New Brunswick's power is produced by coal from
Colombia. A large portion of that coal comes from the largest open pit
mine in the world, the Cerrejon mine. It is documented that the Cerrejon
mine owners use violent force to expand the mining territory. Among other
ongoing human rights abuses is the 2002 bulldozing of a town called
Tabaco, including homes, a school, medical clinic and a church.
The villagers fought for compensation and the relocation of the community.
The Supreme Court of Colombia agreed, and ordered the mine owners to
compensate. No payment or rebuilding of any of the community has happened.
The other major source of energy mentioned in the article is nuclear power
from a second reactor. Canada still does not have a method of long-term
disposal/storage of the radioactive waste that has been produced since
nuclear plants first were built.
The government commissioned study completed November 2005 by Nuclear Waste
Management Organization has not given a definitive answer. Stating in
Chapter 9 of a 451 page report, "For any management approach selected. The
decision-making and implementation processes will unfold over many years."
Then there is the millions of dollars needed to implement and build a
facility to "safely" store the deadly waste. Has this been factored into
the price of electricity it generates? For these reasons and more, a
moratorium on new nuclear power plants makes sense.
Why is our government's utility risking the lives of people in Colombia
and the future safety of generations of children for millions of years?
TIM DEVLIN
Oak Bay
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