🚀 go-pugleaf

From: Native Forest Network-ENA <nfnena@igc.apc.org>

/* Written 11:49 AM  Jun 19, 1997 by nfnena in igc:nfn.tempforest */

From: Native Forest Network-ENA <nfnena@igc.apc.org>

NOTE: Last week at the New England Governors/Eastern Canadian
Premiers conference in Newport, RI, HQ was aggressively touting its
ability to serve the northeastern US market.

Hydro reviving Great Whale
Front page, The [Montreal] Gazette, Saturday, 7 June

Seventeen months after the Parti Quebecois government shelved
Phase II of the James Bay hydroelectric project, it's back on the table,
and this time Hydro-Quebec has set its sights on diverting two of the
largest rivers in northern Quebec.

The plan was presented to Cree leaders in two meetings this week
in Montreal and Quebec City.

Hydro-Quebec and Cree officials say Hydro has proposed to divert
and drain the water of the Great Whale and Rupert rivers into
existing hydro-electric projects through a series of canals.

Crees waged anoisy six-year international campaign against the
original Great Whale proposal, which would have diverted several
rivers into a series of reservoirs built along the Great Whale River.
The new proposal would not involve new dams in the north, but
would reduce the flow of the Great Whale and Rupert rivers to a
trickle.

Cree opposition was a major factor in Jacques Parizeau's decision as
premier to shelve the original project in December 1995 [note: it was
actually November.].

Cree leaders were shocked when they were informed of the plans
this week.

"It's going to be very difficult for the people to accept," said David
Masty, an official of the Great Whale community, situated at the
river's mouth. "I think people sent out a very strong message on that
already. It will have the same impact as if the river was dammed."

Under the proposal, the Great Whale River would be diverted at its
headwater, Lac Bienville, a lake about twice the size of the island of
Montreal. The river's flow would be reduced by about 85 percent
and the diverted water would flow southward through more than 10
kilometres of canals into the existing La Grand hydro complex. The
lac Bienville area is home to the world's largest caribou herds.

Cree fears about the environmental and social effects of hydro
development were at the heart of the acrimonious debate over the
original Great Whale project.

The new plan would also redirect the Rupert River, which flows
through the heartland of Cree territory,nothward to the Eastmain and
La Grande complexes, at least 20 km away.

The two rivers provide drinking water to the communities of Great
Whale and Waskaganish, and to dozens of hunting camps along their
shores.

Shirley Bishop, an aide to Resources Minister Guy Chevrette, at first
denied knowldge of the proposal. Later yesterday she confirmed that
twomeetings had been held between Hydro-Quebec and Cree leaders,
although she would not reveal what was discussed.

"Hydro-Quebec hasn't talked to us aboutthat," Bishop said. "When
they want to do something like that, they have to ask the
government first, and they haven't."

Hydro-Quebec spokesman Steve Flanagan confirmed that the
meetings were held to discuss possible projects along the Great
Whale and Rupert rivers, but said the plan involves only the "partial
diversion" of the rivers and no final decision has been made on
whether it will go ahead.

"These rivers, like many others in Quebec, have a otential and we
will see whether there is an economic interest," Flanagan said.

He asid hydrodevelopment in James Bay is back on the table
because of a desire to export power to the United States and a rise in
energy consumption in Quebec.

Earlier this week, the utility announced it would divert four rivers
into existing hydroprojects on the Lower North Shore and Lac St.
Jean.

A US energy analyst said Hydro-Quebec has been selling ever-
increasing amounts of power to the northeastern states and is now
desperate for more water to replenish its reservoirs, which have
fallen to dangerously lowlevels.

"It seems Quebec took a big gamble and ended up losing," said Ian
Goodman, of the Goodman Group of Boston. Goodman has worked as a
consultant to the Crees. "Hydro-Quebec appears to have oversold the
province's energy and they did so at less than what it costs to
produce it."

While Quebec has more than enough energy for domestic levels, its
energy supplies have fallen to critically low levels because of its
aggresstive export program, said Goodman.

The National Energy Board says Hydro's exports to the US have
nearly trippled since 1990.  Quebec exported five terrawatt-hours of
power in 1990, almost all to the US. This rose to 17 terrawatt-hours
in 1995 and fell somewhat to13.9 terrawatt-hours last year.

Internal Hydro-Quebec documents reveal that Quebec's reservoir
levels have fallen to 21 percent of their total capacity Le Devoir
reported Wednesday.

A battle appears to be brewing within the Quebec government over
the river diversions already announced.

Environment Minister David Cliche said Thursday that any new
Hydro-Quebec projects will be subjected to the same environmental
review as those of any other developer. But Chevrette said
deregulation in the energy industry means information about water
levels in reservoirs can't be made public anymore because it would
put Hydro-Quebec at a commercial disadvantage.
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