[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
DAM-L [harmful-hydro] Sierra Club magazine story on Harmful Hydro (fwd)
----- Forwarded message from Anne Ostberg -----
From sentto-1526124-36-973856881-dianne=sandelman.ottawa.on.ca@returns.onelist.com Fri Nov 10 07:01:48 2000
X-UIDL: 182da8ff4f0dac7baa560b94c4827b77
Return-Path: <sentto-1526124-36-973856881-dianne=sandelman.ottawa.on.ca@returns.onelist.com>
Received: from hp.egroups.com (hp.egroups.com [208.50.99.201])
by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with SMTP id HAA10331
for <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>; Fri, 10 Nov 2000 07:01:46 -0500 (EST)
X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1526124-36-973856881-dianne=sandelman.ottawa.on.ca@returns.onelist.com
Received: from [10.1.10.37] by hp.egroups.com with NNFMP; 10 Nov 2000 11:48:01 -0000
X-Sender: anne@ostberg.org
X-Apparently-To: harmful-hydro@egroups.com
Received: (EGP: mail-6_2_1); 10 Nov 2000 11:48:01 -0000
Received: (qmail 17628 invoked from network); 10 Nov 2000 11:48:01 -0000
Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by m3.onelist.org with QMQP; 10 Nov 2000 11:48:01 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO hn.egroups.com) (10.1.2.221) by mta2 with SMTP; 10 Nov 2000 11:48:01 -0000
X-eGroups-Return: anne@ostberg.org
Received: from [10.1.10.101] by hn.egroups.com with NNFMP; 10 Nov 2000 11:48:00 -0000
To: harmful-hydro@egroups.com
Message-ID: <8ugn9g+qbjk@eGroups.com>
User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82
X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster
X-Originating-IP: 24.218.244.221
From: "Anne Ostberg" <anne@ostberg.org>
Mailing-List: list harmful-hydro@egroups.com; contact harmful-hydro-owner@egroups.com
Delivered-To: mailing list harmful-hydro@egroups.com
Precedence: bulk
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:harmful-hydro-unsubscribe@egroups.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 11:48:00 -0000
Reply-To: harmful-hydro@egroups.com
Subject: [harmful-hydro] Sierra Club magazine story on Harmful Hydro
>From the November/December 2000 issue of Sierra magazine (page 79 in
the paper version) or located at:
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200011/bulletin.asp#North%20American
%20Prairie
in the online version.
North American Prairie
Harmful Hydro
Since the 1970s, Manitoba Hydro has rerouted rivers and dammed lakes
in 50,000 square miles of boreal forest. Flooding caused by the
government-owned power project, which sells almost half of the power
it generates to the United States, has also washed out 3 million
acres of traditional Pimicikamak Cree land. Minnesota's Northern
States Power, Manitoba Hydro's biggest customer, now wants to
purchase even more wattage.
The North Star Chapter's Harmful Hydro campaign is working to
galvanize Minnesotans to stop the buy and unplug altogether from the
Canadian company.
"Many people think hydroelectric power is clean," says Kate Kempton of
Sierra Club Canada. "In fact, big hydro projects flood wetlands and
forests, and the vegetation rots under water, releasing methane-a gas
that causes global warming."
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will most likely make its
decision on the power buy-and on the fate of the Cree and their
lands-in early 2001.
To comment, contact Gregory Scott, Chair, Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission, 121 Seventh Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul, MN 55101 or
greg@pucgate.puc.state.mn.us. Or send a letter direct
<http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200011/hydroletter.asp> from our
Web site.
------------------------------------------------------------
The cut and past letter is below. Simply use your email edit
mechanism to copy and paste it on a blank email (or write your own)
put in your name under "sincerely" and send it to Gregory Scott at
his email address as shown; or by regular mail.
------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory Scott, Chair
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
121 Seventh Place East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-2147
greg@pucgate.puc.state.mn.us
Re: Docket Number E-002/M-99-888
Dear Mr. Scott and members of the Public Utilities Commission:
I urge you to reject Northern States Power's proposed new contract
with Manitoba Hydro. Since the 1970s, Manitoba Hydro has rerouted
rivers and dammed lakes in 50,000 square miles of boreal forest,
greatly damaging the environment. Flooding caused by the power
project has also washed out 3 million acres of traditional
Pimicikamak Cree land. And to meet increased energy demand, Manitoba
Hydro will have to build even more dams.
Very large hydropower projects of the type built by Manitoba Hydro
cannot be considered renewable energy. Mega-hydropower production
requires large-scale flooding of vast areas of land, which in turn
alters natural water-flow patterns and displaces or destroys wildlife
and other native species. It also causes the release of methane gas,
a greenhouse gas.
Manitoba Hydro currently sells electricity to NSP at a rate that does
not reflect the true environmental and human cost of its production.
As a result, NSP's purchase of low-cost electricity from Canada
discourages development of locally produced renewable electricity.
Furthermore, the availability of cheap electricity discourages moves
toward energy conservation that could reduce Minnesota's and
America's reliance on this harmful hydropower.
Policymaking bodies such as the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
must consider more than the cost of electricity when approving
utility contracts. As an environmentalist and as a citizen, I urge
you to vote against the proposed contract between NSP and Manitoba
Hydro.
Sincerely,
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/5/_/300139/_/973856881/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To Post a message, send it to: harmful-hydro@eGroups.com
To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: harmful-hydro-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
----- End of forwarded message from Anne Ostberg -----