Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton
Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says she’s relieved that the province’s Energy and Utilities Board has ruled that it does have jurisdiction to review NB Power’s plan to build a 500 MW gas and diesel plant near Centre Village.
“I’m certainly relieved that there is another process NB Power has to go through and that the EUB will be reviewing it and ideally see what a terrible plan it is,” she adds.
“This isn’t a charity project and it’s going to be very expensive for New Brunswickers who are going to be on the hook for more than a billion dollars.”
Under the provincial electricity act, NB Power is required to apply to the EUB for review and approval of capital projects over $50 million.
But, during EUB hearings last month, NB Power lawyer John Furey said that the law doesn’t apply because the American company PROENERGY would be taking on the financial risks of building and operating the plant.
Therefore, he argued, the plant would be PROENERGY’s capital project, not NB Power’s.
Today, the EUB firmly rejected his argument, ruling that the proposed gas plant would be an NB Power capital project and therefore, the board has jurisdiction to satisfy itself that the project is financially prudent before approving it.
Moe Qureshi of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick says he’s pleased with the EUB ruling.
“I feel good about it because the project will be getting a review and there’s going to be more transparency and more discussion about the financial prudence of this project,” he said in a telephone interview.
“So for us, you know, this is a win for accountability. NB Power rates are going up again and we want to make sure that any project that’s being proposed, whether we agree with it or not, needs to be reviewed.”
Moe Qureshi testifying before a legislative commitee in 2023
At the same time he says, it’s too bad that the EUB will only be looking at finances and not the potential environmental effects of a fossil-fuel-burning generating plant on the Chignecto Isthmus.
He points out that, under new legislation, Nova Scotia’s Energy Board is required to consider environmental effects and climate change in its decisions.
Megan Mitton agrees that the EUB should be doing that too.
“We actually had experts come to hearings two years ago and some of them gave really great recommendations about legislative changes we could make including improving the mandate of the EUB,” she says.
Meantime, John Chilibeck, local journalism initiative reporter for Brunswick News writes that an NB Power spokeswoman said the utility respected the EUB decision.
“We are prepared to file evidence in support of this project,” Elizabeth Fraser wrote in an email to Brunswick News.
For CBC coverage, click here.
I see where social media is all abuzz about the decision from the EUB, in regards to a financial review of this project. Hate to burst your bubble there folks, but in all likelihood your MLA and the various individuals trying to get the project scrubbed had nothing to do with the decision. Financials are typically the last item in a long list of criteria that have to be met before project approval is given. The EUB is simply doing its due diligence, as it would for other energy-related projects in the province.
Concerning the public meeting at town council the other night, I thought the proponent handled himself quite well, in the face of what were obviously adversarial positions taken by the elected officials and the general public. Never, in my many years working in oil and gas, has a municipal official/government been involved as much as the local one is, the point of which, is questionable. As far as the local environment is concerned, bear in mind there are thousands of hydrocarbon, gas and chemical facilities in operation in environmentally-sensitive areas across Canada. These are obligated to meet/exceed regulations for construction/operations, which are mandatory, non-negotiable and will have to be followed for this facility. That’s the way it is, which is common knowledge and practice for those of us who work in the industry.
So… you think his spreading ‘misinformation’ is a good thing?
You think him telling people to fact check him, when it has been done, is respectful?
The public, yes, we’re adversarial, but the town council asked questions based on what they’re hearing from the people they represent and they did it respectfully. If you don’t think they were, then you don’t watch much council meetings…
You may be fanboying over Mr. MacIsaac’s handling of the moment, but to the rest of us, he came across as a mouthpiece that is being paid to ‘pacify the plebs’ and not really consider the issues we have as anything to worry about.