Bill 50 is bad legislation, to support bad policy, to further the agenda of a government that seems uninterested in the ‘best interests of Albertans.’
Bill 50 is bad legislation because it makes it illegal for our utilities regulator to consider the best options of addressing our future reliability concerns for electricity. In fact, Bill 50 clearly states it is illegal for our utilities regulator to refuse any transmission project that our cabinet has endorsed. The AUC must not refuse these projects even if it does not meet the needs of Alberta or is not in the public interest (Section 3 of Bill 50).
It is plain lunacy to have any provincial law that makes it illegal to consider the needs of Alberta or the public interest. Bill 50 supports a bad policy which fails to consider, let alone approve, far more efficient and economical strategies/solutions for our energy future. The provincial policy of unconstrained transmission means we can only address future reliability issues by building transmission lines. Yet it is generation, and not transmission, that will address our future reliability issues.
It’s no different than telling Albertans we must now type with our feet. Perhaps it could be done, but it’s highly inefficient and costly. Such is the case with our provincial policy, which is not used anywhere else in the world! Yet, the AESO and the Stelmach government fail to address this root cause of their highly inefficient and dysfunctional electricity policy.
Despite an unprecedented display of opposition from industry and the public alike, the province remains steadfast in moving forth with their highly controversial transmission upgrade plan. By doing so, the Stelmach government ignores the very same citizens and industry, which it claims to serve. By any definition, that is most definitely not in the best interests of Albertans.
S. Tarapaski, Sturgeon County
