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Green groups decry Canadian dam project |
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
By Jonathan Spicer
TORONTO (Reuters) - A group of U.S. environmental organizations backed Canadian groups fighting a hydroelectric dam in Quebec on Wednesday, but construction has already begun, and the government-owned power utility building the dam says it is too late to stop the C$5 billion ($4.8-billion) project
Eighteen U.S. environment groups, including an arm of the Sierra Club, called for a moratorium on construction of the 893-megawatt project on the Rupert River, one of Quebec's biggest rivers, which flows into James Bay in northeastern Quebec.
The dam will include two main power houses and will boost the Canadian province's ability to export power to the United States and neighboring Canadian jurisdictions.
The group says the project is unnecessary in a Canadian province with an abundance of installed hydropower, and warns about mercury contamination in the river.
The utility, Hydro-Quebec, prepared an environmental impact study for the project in 2003 and made several amendments before Canada's government approved it in January, when construction began, said Sylvain Theberge, a spokesman for Hydro-Quebec.
"There is nothing that can stop that project because we passed through all of the processes, and we have the authorization," he said in an interview, adding that Hydro-Quebec considers the project a green one.
Canadian environmental groups and some members of the nearby Cree native community have resisted the project.
Alexander Lee, spokesman for Project Laundry List, one of the U.S. groups, acknowledged the U.S. push comes late, and that "America has not been paying attention."
"But this will build awareness about future large hydro projects that might be rammed down our throats," Lee told Reuters, noting that Hydro-Quebec contracts to sell power to New York state and Vermont are coming up for renewal.
Quebec is a net exporter of power. Hydro-Quebec says the Rupert River project will employ 27,000 workers during construction, many of whom come from the Cree community.
($1=$1.04 Canadian)
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