Editor’s note: The author of this oped, Keefer Irwin, has canoed extensively throughout Northern Canada and lives in Rochester, Vt.
It’s spring and across Vermont the color green is resplendent. But, shamefully, our green stamp of approval is less pervasive, as our Legislature and governor just gifted Hydro-Quebec—a massive provincial utility—our valuable gold star.
On May 6, at the end of the legislative session on the Senate floor, I witnessed Vermont grant Hydro-Quebec renewable energy status. This provision was attached to H-781, an otherwise good renewable energy bill, which began in the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee around late January.
I first heard of this proposal in mid-April and immediately contacted Cree and non-Cree that live in the aftermath of destruction and disruption of their traditional lives that Hydro-Quebec has wrought in northern Quebec over the years.
Freddy Jolly and Roger Orr, two Cree who are in the way of Hydro-Quebec’s path and plans, sent me testimony that I read to the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee the day after the House passed the bill. Wrote Jolly: “The devastation to me, my family and the Cree Nation is substantial. I am a witness and my eyes and heart do not lie.”
Other than senators McCormack, Campbell and MacDonald (who attempted to remove this rider), it was obvious that legislators had their minds made up. Letters and testimony of opposition were given cursory attention.
I began to connect the dots. Hydro-Quebec is a provincial corporation on a scale that is almost unimaginable (Avatar in real life and time). Many in Quebec want to see the province more financially independent (secession from Canada has been their political agenda). What do they have to exploit and export? A vast system of wild, free-flowing rivers that flow into James Bay.
The Cree who lived on those lands were deceived and sold out by their leaders. They signed agreements for compensation, knowing that Hydro-Quebec would take the land regardless. Then they were slapped with a gag order not to protest.
Gov. Douglas, who this spring was awarded a prestigious title of Officer of the Ordre national du Quebec from Quebec’s Premier Charest—in recognition for his tireless efforts in developing economic ties and opportunities for Quebec, and our two largest utilities have been regurgitating Hydro-Quebec’s propaganda in justifying this renewable status.
During the legislative session, I asked key supporters of this change whether they had ever seen firsthand the devastation or talk[ed] to the Cree. They were tongue-tied. What they do say is that Hydro-Quebec will give us a better deal in a new contract if Vermont gifts them this status. The utilities’ lobbyists hammered at our legislators daily. And, as one senator told me, What the utilities want, they usually get. Really?
Why does Hydro-Quebec want this so badly? Because the change will allow them to crack open market share in the rest of New England and elsewhere. Hydro-Quebec is expanding, with plans to dam more rivers. Now, Vermont has given them what amounts to an endorsement to move ahead.
Meanwhile, Vermonters have been confused—indeed misled—that not granting Hydro-Quebec renewable status would bar us from buying power from Hydro-Quebec. This is simply not true and Green Mountain Power has acknowledged this.
I can’t help but feel that we were duped! I’m not sure where the cunning stopped and the naiveté started.
Proponents are hiding behind the scientific definition of “renewable energy” as energy using technology that relies on a resource being consumed at a harvest rate at or below its natural regeneration. However, isn’t it commonsense that existing and future mega-projects such as Hydro-Quebec are an environmental disaster? People I’ve spoken to who live near the Hydro-Quebec complex recently witnessed a section of the lower Rupert River, now a trickle, running backward. Is this then considered reversible renewable?
During a recent appearance on a Vermont Public Radio call-in show, Rep. Tony Klein, chairman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and supporter of this change, was forced by concerned Vermonters to repeatedly defend this provision. During the show, Klein said he hasn’t heard any Vermonters vocally opposed to buying Hydro-Quebec power, apparently forgetting that 20 years ago this was a very contentious issue. When confronted, he admitted that he too had been an opponent to Hydro-Quebec but said that Hydro-Quebec is now conducting themselves with better environmental practices. How do we know that? During the show, he acknowledged that his committee had taken no testimony from Hydro-Quebec or anyone else directly affected by the dams.
A landmass the size of New England has already been flooded—releasing the greenhouse gas methane and drowning a myriad of wildlife. (Tens of thousands of caribou drowned on their migration years ago.) Boreal forests have been clear-cut. Rivers have dried up. Fish have been killed. And mercury has been released into the food chain.
And a wedge has been speared into the heart of remote Cree communities. Does this fit into what Vermonters want to call renewable? To me renewable is analogous with green and sustainable. This move is insulting to Vermonters’ sensibilities.
With this valuable green stamp of approval we have validated what Hydro-Quebec has done and are encouraging them to continue destroying the fragile ecosystems. Somehow, we lost our compass and, like lemmings, followed each other off the cliff. And like the first domino to topple, we have started a dangerous course of events for Vermont, New England and the nation. Vermont has set a shameful precedent. Have we established a new shade of green for Vermont?
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I think Mr Irwin is very strongly opinionated, and I am skeptical that his opinions accurately reflect Quebec’s, Quebec residents as a whole and specfically reperesent ALL the native people of these lands. Like most issues there is a broad spectrum of thought.
I am certainly not an expert on this issue but I have travel to Chissabi ( on Hudson Bay, near the Radission Hydro) and hunted and fished out of Schefferville. In doing so I’ve had the opportunity to see the hydor impact and for casual conversations with some of the local both native and others.
In both of these locations many (most? possibly all?) of the native people now live most of the year near the schools, hospital, stores that have grown close to these facilities. This is not because they have to, but because these services make life much easier and healthy. It is also a route for themselves and their kids to move in to southern Canadian society. This process has not been without its problems, but very few have absolutely rejected this change. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but going back or stopping future use of hydro or other natural resources is not the answer either.
I had lunch with a fellow who lives lives in Chisasibi. His family keeps to it roots in the James Bay area by maintaining a “camp” (he had a word for it which I don’t remember) that they all summer at. The get on their 4 wheelers and ride about 70 mile to it. There they live much closer to the “old way”. In this way he and his family keeps their life in both worlds. He made it clear that he did not want to go back to living the “old way” full time.
Overall my impression is that the native tribes, Quebec and Canada has worked hard to come up with good solutions. This prosess is on going. Take a visit see for yourself. Visiting an Eco Tourist camp would be fun but remember it and a Dude Ranch are both artificial constructs to earn money and to satisfy the customer.
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Mr. Irwin notes that the Cree “signed agreements for compensation.” That compensation was not a box of trinkets and beads. It has amounted to many hundreds of thousands of dollars that have allowed the Cree to build schools and hospitals, as Mr. Zeliff noted. I won’t argue that the HQ projects have been a unmitigated boon to the Cree, but they have gained much for their loss.