[VegChat] Re: Climate change petition

[Edelweiss D'Andrea]

Although Ontario is now drawing lots of energy from dirty coal plants in the US, it has many energy options other than going back to coal-powered plants ("clean" coal is not really clean) or building nuclear power plants. 

I went to the public hearings on nuclear energy in Ottawa on Monday night, and the clear message from that audience was that people want real conservation and energy productivity improvements.  Other than a handful, people do not want nuclear. In Toronto, the people also rejected nuclear, coal, and other carbon energy solutions. The provincial Liberals were scolded for deep-seated credibility issues, but they ignored many a hissing "Shame!" from the scornful crowd. 

At the Ottawa public hearings, dozens of citizens went to the microphones and talked about energy alternatives to nuclear, from biomass (including reducing and changing packaging so toxins would be eliminated), local heating, geothermal, solar, and wind. They mentioned Germany, United Kingdon, and Sweden as leaders in sustainable development. The achievements of these countries in terms of self-sufficiency, reduction of energy use and waste, and innovation were varied and impressive. For example, a city in England is going off the grid and Sweden has made a resolution to go off gas in a couple of decades. 

Another example is Austria. Nearly 70 percent of its domestic power production came from renewables in 2003. Taking advantage of what is readily available right within its own borders, the half-forested nation utilizes forestry byproducts like wood chips and sawdust to make pellets for high-tech, smoke-free boilers; biomass accounts for about 21 percent of its heat production. Having banned nuclear power generation, Austria is using biofuels to wean itself off of energy imports, meet environmental goals, and spur job creation. The government funds research and development into renewables and heavily subsidizes them as well. 



-----Original Message-----
From: vegchat-bounces at ottawaveg.com
[mailto:vegchat-bounces at ottawaveg.com]On Behalf Of David Wardell
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 2:51 PM
To: For all discussion not animal related (health, environment,
etc).Called " chat" becausethis is for all kinds of frequent
interaction.
Subject: [VegChat] Re: Climate change petition


Ontario and Canadians in general are a bunch of supid losers as this 
article shows.



National Post February 9/2006

Dark days ahead by Tom Adams

Thanks to Premier Dalton McGuinty's off-coal policy, Ontarians are now 
on track for 25%-plus power bill increases and the province's 
Independent Electricity System Operator has been warning of the threat 
of blackouts. Premier McGuinty's off-coal policy brings something else, 
too: dirty air. McGuinty's fixation on ridding the province of coal is 
irrational from start to finish.

Ontario hosts two clean coal plants, Lambton 3 and Lambton 4 near 
Sarnia. Their emissions rank in the top 2% for cleanliness in all NAFTA. 
In contrast, Ontario imports much dirtier power from the U.S. The Ohio 
and Michigan coal plants within 160 km of the Michigan/Southern Ontario 
border ─ the province's largest power import point ─ have average 
emissions of mercury 8.2 times higher. Closing Lambton 3 and Lambton 4 
in 2007, as McGuinty has ordered, is a recipe for dirty air.

Without coal power, Ontario becomes massively dependent on gas-fired 
power. Wind mills and nuclear reactors aren't up to the job of replacing 
coal because their output can't be cranked up and down, as needed to 
meet the changing power needs of Ontarians and Ontario industry. Only 
gas power ─ and hydro-electric dams in the very few remaining sites that 
are available ─ can match coal's controllability to meet changing 
consumer demands.

Even if cost was no object ─ and natural gas power costs three times 
that of power from Lambton 3 and 4 ─ it is only a matter of time before 
McGuinty admits that the coal closures scheduled for 2007 won't happen. 
Replacement power cannot be in place in time.

McGuinty has banked on a handful of natural gas generating plants as 
replacements for the coal capacity he's retiring. One ─ a large gas 
power station in Mississauga ─ was cancelled in December. The other ─ a 
large coal-replacing gas-fired station near Sarnia ─ is in limbo. Its 
main investor, Calpine Corp., recently went bankrupt.

Tellingly, Calpine's dependence on gas-fired power killed the company. 
Record-high gas prices made Calpine plants uneconomic, convincing 
customers to flee to more economic alternatives and forcing Calpine to 
go under.

Even if the proposed Calpine gas power station can be rescued and 
McGuinty comes to his senses on coal, Ontario will gain nothing in power 
reliability. McGuinty located the proposed station adjacent to the 
existing power complex at Lambton, where transmission capacity is 
limited. The bottle-neck will idle half of generation potential in the 
area.

Another natural gas option ─ liquified natural gas ─ is expensive and 
years away. It is also insecure, since it comes from unstable countries 
like Algeria and Russia. If Ontario can secure liquified natural gas, it 
will do nothing for the environment: When used to generate power, 
liquified natural gas and coal release about the same carbon-dioxide 
when considered on a life cycle basis.

While Ontario is mired in energy insecurity, the cost of McGuinty's 
coal-shutdown mania rises. On May 1, power consumers across Ontario will 
see sharp increases in residential power rates, in some regions as high 
as 25%. In coming years, the rate hikes will be greater still. Some of 
the May 1 increase, and most of the future increases, will be directly 
attributed to McGuinty's extravagantly expensive power purchases.

Ironically, the best potential for a large-scale reduction in emissions 
from fossil fuel plants comes in better ─ not less ─ use of coal. And 
here, too, McGuinty has entirely missed the boat. Only four of Ontario's 
15 coal generators have modern pollution controls. Only two ─ Lambton 3 
and 4 ─ have the full suite of end-of-pipe solutions. Because coal 
shutdowns have become official government policy, Crown-owned coal 
operator Ontario Power Generation is stalled in securing the labour, 
fuel supply and mechanical maintenance necessary to keep coal plants 
operating after the planned shutdown date of 2007. Pollution control 
upgrades are nowhere on the radar screen.

As a result, Ontario's coal plants will be running beyond 2007 and most 
will be running dirty. Even our cleanest ones are primitive compared 
with the environmental performance of the leading units now running in 
the U.S., Japan, and Europe.

The leading European coal technologies, to protect against possible 
regulations that may require greenhouse gas reductions, have adopted new 
coal burners that blend coal with agricultural wastes. Since these 
wastes can be produced with close to carbon-dioxide neutrality, the 
ultimate power-related emissions of such dual-fuel stations can be 
controlled by adjusting the fuel mix to meet changing emission control 
rules. European farmers have gained new markets as these machines get 
installed.

Ontario should adopt new state-of-the-art coal plants to replace our 
worst generators and to fill Ontario's frightening power supply gap. The 
sooner McGuinty reverses his senseless anti-coal policy, the better off 
our economy and our environment will be.