<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<p> I am trying to argue a nuance that seems to be missed. I have
long advocated for Hydro from Quebec. I believe that it is folly
to confirm our beliefs about climate change with anecdotal
evidence and environmental models whose predictions have not been
verified with real world data.</p>
<p>Art<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/21/22 1:36 p.m., Allan Baker
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:8352F81C-E47B-4442-A8AE-2E8772A20FE0@gmail.com">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode:
space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hi Art;
<div class="">I will not be attending our CRAIC discussion
tomorrow - we will be attending a special exhibit at the Aga
Khan Museum here in Toronto.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">With respect to your photo of the coal train, in
Ontario the Ford government has recently decided to increase
GHG emissions by 600 per cent through the burning of methane
to generate electricity. This is also a more expensive means
of generating electricity than using wind, solar, or hydro
purchased from Quebec. </div>
<div class="">Check the message from Environmental Defence
below.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Stay hopeful;</div>
<div class="">Allan</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<header class="entry-header" style="box-sizing: inherit;
margin-bottom: 30px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Interstate, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px;">
<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline"
style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px;
line-height: 1.2; font-size: 4.4rem; color: rgb(0, 70,
127);">Ontario’s next gas plant scandal</h1>
<p class="entry-meta" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin:
0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.5rem;"><time
class="entry-time" itemprop="datePublished"
datetime="2022-10-17T16:21:19-04:00" style="box-sizing:
inherit;">October 17, 2022</time> by <span
class="entry-author" itemprop="author" itemscope=""
itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing:
inherit;"><a href="https://taf.ca/author/bryanpurcell/"
class="entry-author-link" rel="author" itemprop="url"
style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127);
transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s,
background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span class="entry-author-name"
itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Bryan
Purcell</span></a></span> <span
class="entry-comments-link" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a
href="https://taf.ca/ontarios-next-gas-plant-scandal/#comments"
style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127);
transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s,
background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" class=""
moz-do-not-send="true">5 Comments</a></span></p>
</header>
<img class="wp-post-image wp-image-17961 size-post-banner
attachment-post-banner" alt="" style="box-sizing: inherit;
max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; border-style: none;
margin-bottom: 30px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Interstate, sans-serif;
font-size: 18px;" apple-inline="yes"
id="0D290109-1664-461E-B707-469F69B63D19"
src="cid:part1.nIFoxksN.sNrHB7t4@integralshift.ca">
<div class="entry-content clearfix" itemprop="text"
style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Interstate, serif;
caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-size: 18px;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">A rushed decision to procure new
gas fired power plants, without public consultation or
transparent analysis of the alternatives. Hundreds of
millions of public dollars wasted due to poor electricity
infrastructure planning. I’m not talking about the gas
plant cancellations of 2011 that cost an <a
href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-liberals-gas-plant-cancellations-cost-1-billion-auditor/article14744879/"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">estimated $1 billion</a>.
This is Ontario’s next gas plant scandal, unfolding right
now unless the province changes course quickly.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">On October 7th, Ontario’s Minister
of Energy directed the Independent Electricity System
Operator (IESO) to procure 1,500 megawatts of new natural
gas-fired electricity generation capacity. This decision
was taken without any public consultation, based on a <a
href="https://ieso.ca/en/Sector-Participants/Resource-Acquisition-and-Contracts/Resource-Eligibility"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">very brief IESO report</a> without
financial analysis or comparison of other pathways. These
new gas plants are to be built by 2027, and some given
20-year contracts to operate until at least 2047. Combined
with the planned ramp-up of existing gas plants, they will
result in more than a 300% increase in carbon emissions
from Ontario’s electricity system.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">This decision imperils Ontario and
Canada’s progress against climate targets. But it also
leaves Ontario on the hook for hundreds of millions of
dollars in potential contractual penalties. The federal
government has committed to net zero electricity across
Canada by 2035, and is in the process of drafting a
regulation to achieve that goal. The regulation will
prohibit the unabated use of natural gas for electricity
generation starting in 2035. No company will risk
investing in a new gas plant to open in 2027, knowing they
will most likely be required to shut it down in 2035. To
bring bidders to the table, the Minister has directed the
IESO to offer bidders a guarantee: if climate regulations
require the new plants to shut down, the people of Ontario
will fully compensate them for their losses.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">In other words, this government is
planning for Ontario and Canada to fail to meet its
climate commitments, and is putting a billion-dollar bet
on it. If this is a losing bet – and let us hope that it
is – Ontarians will be paying the bill for polluting gas
plants we don’t need until 2047. Either way, the people
and businesses of Ontario lose.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">It doesn’t need to be this way.
Earlier this month, the <a
href="https://taf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/derps-20220930-final-report-volume-1.pdf"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">IESO released a much
more thorough study</a> showing that it would be more
cost-effective to meet Ontario’s energy needs using
non-emitting distributed energy resources (DERs).</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">DERs include solar, energy
storage, and automated demand response systems located
close to loads in existing facilities. Unlike new gas
plants, DERs don’t need to be built over the objections of
local communities, and they are fully compliant with the
federal government’s forthcoming <a
href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/publications/proposed-frame-clean-electricity-regulations.html"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">clean electricity
regulation</a>. DERs are shown to generate seven dollars
for every one dollar invested, and the benefits are
distributed in communities large and small across the
province.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">Large scale centralized renewables
backed by storage is also an option, and overwhelmingly
the choice for other jurisdictions that need more
generation capacity. Renewables are set to account for
almost <a
href="https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-electricity-growth-is-accelerating-faster-than-ever-worldwide-supporting-the-emergence-of-the-new-global-energy-economy"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">95% of the increase in
global power</a> capacity through 2026, with solar PV
alone providing more than half. In contrast, <a
href="https://rmi.org/report-release-headwinds-for-us-gas-power/"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">50% of planned gas
plants in the US</a> have been cancelled prior to
construction in recent years, across red and blue states,
in favour of cleaner and more cost-effective alternatives.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">The bottom line is that investing
in new gas fired power plants is fiscally and
environmentally reckless.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">This Ontario government doesn’t
have a long-term energy plan, nor a strategy to comply
with the federal clean electricity regulation. Instead,
the province and the IESO are rushing into a poor decision
that will come at an excessive cost, increasing emissions,
and losing our ‘clean grid’ advantage. But it’s not too
late to change course.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">We’re confident that
municipalities with gas phaseout resolutions (<a
href="https://www.cleanairalliance.org/ontario-municipalities-that-have-endorsed-gas-power-phase-out/"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">there are over 30</a>)
and residents of communities near proposed gas plant sites
will be strong in their opposition, just as they were in
2011. More than a decade later, amidst growing climate
concern and availability of clean solutions, amidst
inflation and increasing carbon price – who <span
style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;"
class="">is</span> going to support these plants? <a
href="https://abacusdata.ca/clean-energy-eclipsing-oil-and-gas/"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">Recent Abacus polling</a> shows
that most Ontarians think clean energy will be more
important for the economy than fossil fuels within ten
years.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class="">There’s a place for any Ontarian’s
voice who depends on clean, reliable, affordable
electricity. You could <a
href="https://www.infogo.gov.on.ca/infogo/home.html#orgProfile/202090/en"
style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127);
transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, background-color
0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" class="" moz-do-not-send="true">contact
the Ministry of Energy</a> directly or <a
href="https://www.ola.org/en/get-involved/contact-mpp"
target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:
inherit; color: rgb(0, 70, 127); transition: color 0.2s
ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"
class="" moz-do-not-send="true">ask your MPP</a> where
they stand and what they can do. All of us should tell the
province to put the brakes on new gas plants and invest
now in distributed energy resources, large-scale
renewables and storage, and conservation. It’s the right
path for Ontario.</p>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class=""> <br
class="webkit-block-placeholder">
</div>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px;
padding: 0px;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit;
font-style: italic;" class="">Image credit: Chris Young,
Canadian Press via CTV News</span></p>
</div>
<div><br class="">
<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On Oct 21, 2022, at 2:12 PM, Arthur Blomme
<<a href="mailto:art@integralshift.ca"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext" moz-do-not-send="true">art@integralshift.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<div class="">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
charset=UTF-8" class="">
<div class="">
<p class="">Hi Alan</p>
<p class="">I do not want to defend Rex Murphy but he
is much more eloquent than Monbiot.<br class="">
</p>
<p class=""><img
data-visualcompletion="media-vc-image" alt="May be
an image of outdoors and text that says 'Electric
car fuel being transported to the power station'"
class=" x1bwycvy x19kjcj4 x193iq5w x4fas0m"
src="https://scontent.fyvr2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/312475236_10225155510849560_4867720192119588415_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=cLRcjxfo8WkAX8PoZam&tn=9jSOtPmcp6BAXiom&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr2-1.fna&oh=00_AT8rIxwX_zusUY8OcY2BzYRr2QmIeLhRc3vcXSZAQTao-Q&oe=63574B7A"
moz-do-not-send="true" width="400" height="381"
align="left">I checked out that article by
Monbiot. I used to be a fan of Monbiot and his
concept of rewilding but was completely
disillusioned with him after learning from Jonathon
Cook of his blind support for NATO involvement in
Ukraine. At that time I also learned from Angela
Bischof that he supports nuclear energy for climate
change remediation. So much for rewilding. <br
class="">
</p>
<p class="">Like the CBC the Guardian has become the
mouth piece promoting the Davos narrative feeding us
opinions on climate disaster without revealing their
source. It is ironic that the Monbiot oped has a
segue to an oped the Davos poster child and
eugenicist Yuval Harari.</p>
<p class="">Peace <br class="">
</p>
<p class="">Art<br class="">
</p>
<p class=""><br class="">
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/20/22 6:41 a.m.,
Allan Baker via craic wrote:<br class="">
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:E25F8876-F19C-4EA4-92B8-140C8670410D@gmail.com"
class="">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">The Guardian has a piece by George Monbiot that is an antidote to the Rex Murphys of the world.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/19/van-gogh-sunflowers-just-stop-oil-tactics?CMP=share_btn_link" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/19/van-gogh-sunflowers-just-stop-oil-tactics?CMP=share_btn_link</a>
_______________________________________________
craic mailing list
To send message: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:craic@integralshift.ca" moz-do-not-send="true">craic@integralshift.ca</a>
To manage Subscription: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.integralshift.ca/listinfo.cgi/craic-integralshift.ca" moz-do-not-send="true">http://lists.integralshift.ca/listinfo.cgi/craic-integralshift.ca</a>
To Unsubscribe send email to: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:craic-unsubscribe@integralshift.ca" moz-do-not-send="true">craic-unsubscribe@integralshift.ca</a>
To Subscribe send email to: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:craic-subscribe@integralshift.ca" moz-do-not-send="true">craic-subscribe@integralshift.ca</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br class="">
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>