What's lacking in the sudden rash of Brome-Missisquoi mega-projects?
Transparency, Scrutiny... Probity
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This article first appeared in le Tour Sutton, May 2010, under the Tour's
summer 2010 theme of "Probity."
By Eden Greig Muir, Frelighsburg, 2010/05/28.
Several major projects with important environmental, energy, and land-use ramifications
are being proposed for the Brome-Missisquoi region. These include a network of
telecommunications towers, an oil-pipeline pumping station, and a $65-million industrial wind farm.
The large corporate interests behind these projects show little regard for the quaint
concerns of Townships residents who want to protect their landscape and quality of life. We expect
these men in suits
to attempt to maximize gains for their shareholders--that is their job. What
is shocking is the reluctance of some of our public officials to stand up to the
corporations, to explain the high stakes and risks for our region, and to demonstrate wisdom,
honesty, and integrity--in a word, probity.
(A) Sunrise over Jay Peak and the Pinnacle
as a horse grazes in Canton-de-Bedford, the
site of proposed industrial wind turbines.
The press recently reported that media-giant Videotron pressured municipal councils to
allow it to bypass review processes in its rush to establish a cell-phone network. A local paper
posed the question: "Videotron a-t-telle enfreint la loi sur le lobbyisme?" (1)
Videotron is planning a 300-foot mega-tower for Frelighsburg, one of the few
remaining municipalities with an unspoiled natural skyline. The promised public consultation,
required by the village, became a 30-day period in March 2010 to submit letters to
Videotron. Apparently this is a legal interpretation of "public consultation" but it
does not suggest transparency and good-faith dealing on the part of the corporation.
In contrast, the issue of the Dunham pumping station is receiving a fair amount of press
and local debate. Montreal Pipe-Lines wants to
reverse the flow of the old pipeline, sending oil-sands petroleum to Portland, Maine,
and on by ship to Texas refineries. This idea prompts discussions at many different
levels, from the physics of pipeline pressures and the dangers of local spills
to the environmental horrors of Alberta oil-sands production. In an insecure "Peak-Oil"
world, Brome-Missisquoi finds itself at the heart of geo-political energy policy debates.
This is an issue that every local school child should be studying as a window into
global energy issues, and one that local officials should be exploring to demonstrate
their vision and leadership.
Perhaps the most shocking lack of probity can be found in the Bedford-area plan for a
$60-million industrial wind farm. Slated for submission to Hydro-Quebec on May 19, 2010, this is a modified
version of the failed 2007 venture by Groupe SM International. The new mission is cloaked
in "community" terminology to make it more palatable to the locals.
(B) Located several hundred meters behind a residence, these wind turbines
still dwarf a home near Plattsburgh, NY.
The project is being staged according to the wind-developers' standard playbook: the corporation's
engineers secretly scout out possible sites, their lawyers sign secret deals with a small
number of land owners. Non-disclosure pacts ensure that a negative word will never be heard.
Then a public meeting is held at which a "community" wind farm concept is announced by a local
farmer who is named the "Promoter." Town politicians line up in support, and if the corporation
is mentioned at all, it is as a minor player.
However, a few weeks after the "community" wind farm project was presented, it was made clear
who was actually pulling the strings. On April 5, 2010, the Stanbridge Station
town council had to reveal official
correspondence
(2) from Groupe SM International demanding a resolution stating that their still
incomplete proposal conformed to local regulations. The council immediately
voted to grant the corporation its wish.
The council also revealed a second letter (3) from the
same company offering to create the new
local zoning regulations that would govern their own project! The "community" cloak had
slipped off the project, exposing the true corporate masters. So much for probity!
People can disagree about the wisdom of erecting 45-story industrial wind turbines on precious farmland near
Eastern Townships homes and villages. But everyone should agree that it is an urgent and important
energy policy and planning discussion that affects the entire region, one that should be held
in public, not in secret caucuses or in private board rooms.
Our region is facing a growing assault that threatens the environment that we all cherish.
Public officials should sponsor and lead open, thoughtful, in-depth analysis and discussion
of these projects rather than blindly acceding to corporate demands.
There is an urgent need for transparency, honesty and
integrity as we face these important issues--there is a need for probity.
---
(1) Videotron a-t-telle enfreint la loi sur le lobbyisme? La Voix de l'Est, March 31, 2010.
(2) www.ForumMissisquoi.com/news/NFF0069.html
(3) www.ForumMissisquoi.com/news/NFF0068.html