Sound familiar?? Bill Black wrote an article on Saturday calling on the UARB to say no to Muskrat Falls. Unfortunately, a series of new laws passed by our NDP Government takes away the normal powers of the UARB and gives the final decision to the NDP Government. The UARB may not be able to actually say no to a project that will result in power bills being much higher than necessary. Frighteningly, the laws say that the UARB “must approve” this project if it meets certain terms and conditions that the NDP Government will define. The laws also say that the UARB does not have final say in deciding what evidence can be presented or what alternatives can evaluated. Under these new laws, no independent body will make sure the customers of NS Power see all options. The impact to our small and struggling economy is enormous. Higher electricity rates put more people into poverty, lead to longer wait times at hospitals, raise the cost of food and water, and put more people out of jobs. We cannot afford to get this wrong. While the Government and Emera have been quoted for a year saying that this project is going to cost $1.5 billion, we learned last week from Emera that the actual number is $4.5 billion. This higher number includes all the costs, including interest charges, taxes, and operating costs. Nova Scotia has the highest electricity rates in Canada and the customers of Nova Scotia Power deserve a fair review by the UARB. One where nothing is hidden. If you’re worried, please call your MLA and your Premier and ask why we need special laws just for this project. If it is so good for customers of NS Power, shouldn’t we be allowed to see all the alternatives?
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 00:40:20 +0000
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