BC NDP Axes Opposition to Clean Energy Companies?

Yesterday the BC NDP axed their “Axe the Gas Tax” campaign, today Rob Fleming (the party’s new Environment Critic pictured left) shifted position on “Independent Power Producers” (IPPs). When pressed, Fleming refused to continue the election platform call for a “moratorium” on IPPs.

“There are all kinds of renewable energy applications in British Columbia right now, and I think some of them are very interesting,” he told reporters at the legislature (CBC story).

Clean energy growth in BC has been suffering from a strange ideological debate over whether companies should be allowed to build clean energy projects and sell power into the public grid or whether they should be banned from the province altogether in favour of crown monopolies. BC is the only place in the world where this debate has any traction and it is doubly strange since the NDP government of the 1990s was a proponent of building a clean energy sector (ie: “IPPs”) in the province.

The issue was the cause of one of the party’s biggest campaign embarrassments when they used Earth Day to take the press corps on a fly-over with Rafe Mair to show the supposed environmental destruction caused by run of river hydro projects. (’Against clean energy on Earth Day?’ I hear non-British Columbians asking…. Yes, it was a very strange election). Not only did the plane get lost and the reporters airsick, but for most reporters it was their first look at run of river projects and they couldn’t see what the fuss was about….

While she said she saw clear evidence of the downsides of independent power projects during her aerial tour, reporters spent most of the flight quizzically looking at the mountainous landscape and wondering where they were and what it was they were supposed to be seeing. Link (more on the campaign disaster here, here)

Along with their infamous opposition to the carbon tax, opposition to clean energy companies gave incumbent Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell all the opening necessary to frame the NDP as “the most anti-environmental political party in the country” — a theme he happily resurrected today in responding to the NDP abandoning their opposition to IPPs and the carbon tax. (hopefully soon to energy conservation measures as well?)

Is the BC NDP is modernizing its position in line with the party’s position in other provinces such as Ontario, Manitoba and their recent success in Nova Scotia? And will that allow BC to stop arguing about backtracking and return to a race-to-the-top against other provinces and US states in building renewables and pushing ahead on energy conservation policies?

• Here’s a link to a CBC story which also has intesting new polling data from Environics on the rise in support for carbon taxes in BC and across Canada