Toronto - Eleven leading environmental organizations delivered a letter to Premier McGuinty today with recommendations on how to fix his government's electricity plan, while radioactive waste containers were delivered to Queen's Park for cabinet ministers to take home with them as the Legislature rose for the summer break.
The letter was signed by representatives of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Greenpeace Canada, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Pembina Institute, Sierra Club of Canada, Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Toronto Environmental Alliance, and WWF-Canada.
"It's promising to be a hot summer and an even hotter fall if the government proceeds with its reckless nuclear plan without a proper environmental review," said Keith Stewart of WWF-Canada. "It's going to be up to Ontarians to force decisions about our energy future out of the backrooms and into the public realm." The groups made the presentation after a week where the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario criticized the government's actions and ministers were accused of 'double speak' for their explanation of the government's decision to exempt its multi-billion dollar nuclear electricity plan from the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.
"We're delivering a letter that summarizes reliable and proven steps that the government can implement quickly to get out of its electricity problems" said Jose Etcheverry of the David Suzuki Foundation. "The radioactive waste containers are to remind cabinet ministers of the mess that they will be creating for future generations if they implement the nuclear option instead of conservation and renewable energy."
The groups expressed concern about the government's ongoing dismissal of nuclear power's serious high-costs, unreliability and waste production, noting that Premier McGuinty wrote off the intractable problem of storing nuclear waste on June 14 by saying that you can "put it in a box and you can contain it."
"It is becoming increasing clear that the McGuinty government has its head in the sand on the costs of nuclear power," said Shawn-Patrick Stensil from Greenpeace. "There are 30,000 tonnes of high-level radioactive waste in Ontario, and if Premier McGuinty wants to produce more he should tell Ontarians how and where in Ontario he plans to store it for a million years."
The groups called on the government to take immediate actions on conservation and renewable energy, while submitting their long-term plan to an environmental assessment. The 7 specific actions they proposed were:
1. The government commit to a full provincial environmental assessment of its electricity plan.
2. The government take immediate action to implement its 2003 election promise to phase out coal-fired electricity in Ontario, specifically proceeding with the conversion of the Thunder Bay and Nanticoke facilities to natural gas fired combustion.
3. The government direct the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to adopt a more effective approach to demand response, including paying market rates for load reductions from electricity consumers during critical peaks, and encouraging utilities to implement programs like Toronto Hydro's PeakSaver. Such measures will be essential to managing summer peak demand over the next few years.
4. The government ensure that the price of electricity reflects its full cost (environmental and commercial), including long-term liabilities associated with facility decommissioning and nuclear fuel waste management.
5. The government implement a quick start energy efficiency strategy for Ontario, as outlined by the Pembina Institute, to lay the groundwork for immediate and long-term electricity savings.
6. The government take immediate action to secure additional electricity supplies from low-impact renewable and high efficiency cogeneration sources, including the use of aggressive standard offer contract mechanisms.
7. The government establish a commission of inquiry to clarify and resolve the institutional roles and responsibilities of the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Ontario Power Authority, Hydro One Networks, Ontario Power Generation, local distribution utilities, the Ontario Energy Board and the Ministry of Energy.
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Media Contacts:
Jose Etcheverry, Research and Policy Analyst, Climate Change Program, David Suzuki Foundation Cell 416-885-0129
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Energy Campaigner Greenpeace Canada, 416-884-7053 (English/French)
Dr. Keith Stewart, Climate Change Campaign Manager, WWF-Canada, 416-489-8800 ext. 7257 Cell: 416-985-5936