latest on power lineProvince urged to make quick decision on NTL
BC Environmental Assessment process now completed
Tyler Noble
1/12/2011
Referral of the Northwest Transmission Line proposal is expected to take place Thursday, now that the provincial environmental assessment process is complete.
Environment Minister Murray Coell and Mines Minister Pat Bell will have 45 days to decide whether or not to give it the go-ahead.
Northwest-area politicians are hoping for a quick decision.
Terrace mayor Dave Pernarowski, who's also the chair of the Northwest Powerline Coalition, says he's optimistic project approval will occur sooner rather than later.
"I believe that the provincial government is very well aware of the importance of this infrastructure development for northern British Columbia and I'm very confident still that the decision to proceed will come to us in the very near future."
Pernarowski is in Prince George attending the Natural Resource and Economic Forum, where he hopes to speak to Minister Bell about the project.
MP Nathan Cullen says he can't stress enough how much the mining industry is depending on the project to go ahead.
"Their whole project shifts dramatically when they have a reliable power source.
"I would also suggest that, as a province-building exercise, this is something we need to get at, and have needed to get at for a long time to enhance and open up parts of our province that have been neglected."
Cullen says there's also tremendous interest in the project up in Alaska, where there are several orphaned green-power sources which are being overproduced and underused.
~ with files from John Crawford