Townsite Ratepayers Society (TRS) has written to British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) requesting that Powell River Energy Inc (PREI) remain a public utility.
Ratepayers director David Wheatley, in a letter to BCUC, stated that Townsite is a federally recognized historical neighbourhood of Powell River. The neighbourhood encompasses the PREI-owned Townsite hydro dam, plus the associated electrical generating complex, and also has high-voltage power lines that travel over streets in the residential area.
“The TRS advocates that PREI remain under the jurisdiction of BCUC and the BC Utilities Commission Act,” stated Wheatley, adding that Powell River and the surrounding areas have a lot at stake in this issue.
“We believe BCUC provides an important public forum for interested parties such as ourselves to be able to provide input to a provincial governing body with regulatory powers,” stated Wheatley. “It is important that transparency with regulatory issues is protected by BCUC.”
Wheatley stated that according to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act, BCUC has the power to review energy supply contracts to see if they are in the public interest.
“Historically, the local water rights were granted to the pulp mill to generate electricity, which created a great deal of economic development and employment retention in our area,” stated Wheatley. “This is no longer the case. TRS believes the present-day export of the electrical power from PREI’s dams to the USA is not in the public interest."
City of Powell River Council recently approved a letter addressed to BCUC regarding PREI's initiative to not be classed as a public utility.
“Sections 23, 25 and 49 of the Utilities Commission Act allows BCUC to ensure public safety and convenience," stated Wheatley. "The commission can make orders regarding utilities operations and require reports on safety incidents. The commission can also ensure a utility does not cause damage to the public sphere nor cause inconvenience to the public.”
Wheatley stated that TRS is concerned about aging PREI hydro dam infrastructure and the now brittle high-capacity power lines that travel above neighbourhood streets.
“TRS wants the right to interact with a government-empowered regulatory agency on these issues when necessary,” stated Wheatley. “This ability will be negated if PREI is exempted from the jurisdiction of BCUC. Public safety is an important issue.
“Section 43 of the Utilities Commission Act grants BCUC the authority to ask questions and get answers from utilities that are in the public’s interest. This provides transparency, which is of great importance in a functioning democracy.”
Wheatley stated that in summary, TRS requests that for the stated reasons, PREI should remain a public utility as defined in the BC Utilities Commission Act and be under the jurisdiction of the BC Utilities Commission.
