The real life irony – trees slashed and burned for BC Northwest Transmission Line

If you are enjoying your holiday in the north of Terrace in northwestern BC and observe a hazy and smoky sky, please do not be alarmed and wonder if Mayan’s prophecy revelation for 2012 is realizing. The gloomy sky is just a side effect of the practices BC Hydro is currently endeavoring in for the new Northwest Transmission Line. In order to construct the 340 km pathway for the project, BC Hydro believes it is necessary to clear the pathway up. It logs down the “barriers” and sets a fire to eliminate the evidence of its destructionon environment.

BC Hydro claims the construction of Northwest Transmission Line is a sustainable development. By transporting energy via electrification, the amount of greenhouse emission will decrease. However, since BC Hydro has decided to set fire on the unused logs, extra 600,000 tones of CO2 gas will be released into the atmosphere. BC Hydro is fulfilling the present demand of energy by compromising the ability of future generation to achieve their needs. The project’s goal in being sustainable is ruined. BC Hydro defends due to the poor quality of the logs and the far distance from mills, it is inefficient and expensive to transform the cut-down trees into merchantable logs. However, one factor one should take into consideration is ultimately BC Hydro is just another profit maximizer. There is an incentive for the company to minimize the cost of the construction.  The company might use the quality of the wood and difficulty of transportation as an excuse. The above concerns lead me into wonder whether the seemingly environmental Northwest Transmission Line is just another project greenwashed by the government.

References:

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/resources/Hydro+burns+hundreds+thousands+trees+along+Northwest/7556455/story.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/07/bc-transmountain-hydro-timber.html