New Power line increases more than red herring

New power line hitting consumers hard is more than a red herring!

The Power line project is being spun as an outdated Calgary Edmonton corridor. In truth Edmonton is shipping all the power it can to Calgary now and, Calgary has enough; the lines are more than adequate.

Alta Link ownership is interesting. This used to be your inexpensive Alberta Advantage that the Conservatives thought was obscene.

US Electric Grid entering the end Game - the market you are paying the lines for.

The Oil Companies are bringing power on line to export to the US and to the Alberta market. Sherrittb Fording is going to build a Genesee sized plant at Brooks Alberta. Fording will build the plant, Sheritt will sell them the coal. This will allow Calgary more power than is presently being generated for both areas and, it dosen't need to be moved between Calgary and Edmonton!

ATCO is looking for EUB approval to build a power line down the east boundary of Alberta to Montana. The line to Calgary, charged to the Alberta rate payer will be used to export electricity to the US on lines being paid for by the Alberta consumers.

The costs of power lines like tar sands are not controlled. They are all cost-plus operations and the EUB allows the highest returns in Canada. The Conservatives say all power lines in the province are paid for by the Alberta taxpayer. Your will recall Ralph and Dinning took control of the power lines saying it was to properly distribute power line revenue to school boards.

No where is there a formula for how to charge the exporters for their use of the lines?

As to the cost; these power lines should have been upgraded 10 years ago. Klein turned off the entire infrastructure funding so, no upgrades. Meanwhile, China bought up all the steel stock and supply world wide. Ship salvages operations, scrap yards and mines.

The steel tire rim you bought for 2 bucks 5 years ago will cost you 40 dollars now! And, so went the price of the steel towers.

The oil companies are spending our money (cost plus) on the highest wages in Canada and we pay twice or three times because we have to pay the higher front end away from the tar sands.

The long and the short of it is that the program is going exactly as the Conservatives planned it and we, the taxpayer pay through the nose!

It will take a strong leader to reclaim even a portion of what we have lost.

On another venue;

The Conservative Government has a dog and pony show moving quietly around the country on meetings to find out if we are happy with our 1% royalty take and if we are happy with the environmental impact. They are reported to be using these forums as a platform for scare tactics. If we want a fair share, the oil companies will quit. Don't you believe it!

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca