What questions should the "Blue Ribbon Panel" address??

Seen this on everyone's favorite social media website. I grabbed it to post here, because it is worth posting and it will fade away soon on that site. Credits go to Betty.


"I heard that the ‘blue ribbon panel’ report on the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec will be released Feb1.

I will be very disappointed unless this report addresses as a minimum the following issues:

-lists the experts consulted in the preparation of the report... See More

-explains why the public was not given the opportunity to make submissions

-an honest comparison of the proposed sale and NB Power’s strategic plan (not the ‘status quo’ the government keeps referring to as no intelligent executive would plan to indefinitely refurbish and rebuild existing generation assets)

-calculations showing the expected revenue and costs of the retained transmission system proving it will be sustainable

-fair valuation of generation assets and transmission rights being sold

-rationale for the cost per kilowatts hour in the ‘energy agreement’ (power is currently purchased from Hydro-Quebec for less than half that, and is also currently available on the open market for about 2/3 of that)

-rationale for the limit of the heritage pool

-all costs, fees, payments in lieu of taxes, etc currently paid by NB Power to the provincial government and how that revenue will be replaced when it is lost through this agreement

-total cost of this deal including foregone revenue currently received from NB Power, pension costs, subsidy to local utilities (Saint John Energy, etc), costs of expected lost positions and spin offs, etc

-estimate of power rate increases after five years

-valuation of carbon credits which Minister Keir says aren’t worth much but also says to retain them would have to give up, for example, five year rate freeze (his words)

-the effect on ratepayers of the decommissioning of Belledune and Coleson Cove (which will be operated under the direction and control of Hydro-Quebec who has the option to request their shut down)

-whether Hydro-Quebec has any residual interest (as in the original MOU) in Belledune and Coleson Cove after they are directed to shut-down (the fluctuating price of oil is a concern but these plants could without excess effort be converted to natural gas and they do have state of the art scrubbers which seems to be ignored)

-explains why a long term power purchase agreement with Hydro-Quebec was not considered as an option

Citizens have very serious concerns about the ability of the members of this advisory panel to be truly objective and free of bias. Unless this report truly addresses the broad spectrum of concerns raised concerning this proposed sale it will have accomplished little."

.Possibly she is the same person who wrote this as well.
http://savenbpower.blogspot.com/2010/01/analysing-unanalysible-inside-power.html


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