Rustad vows to address energy crisis in northwestern BC

The BC Conservatives have vowed to address the energy crisis in the northwestern region of the province.Leader John Rustad said that if elected, his government would not only increase energy production, but bring down prices for residents at the same time."The Conservative Party of British Columbia believes in local solutions for local communities," Rustad wrote in a press release. "We will produce the power locally, make it cheaper, and ensure that the people of the Northwest get the energy security they deserve while reducing natural gas delivery charges for everyone."He explained that the best plan would be one that increases power generation in the Northwest, "not building costly power lines from the northeast that would raise costs for BC hydro customers across the province.""Ratepayers do not need to spend more on another boondoggle project by David Eby's NDP," Rustad added. "Our approach will make energy more affordable for families and businesses in the Northwest. We will reduce the dependency on long and expensive power lines that only add to the costs, and create jobs in local power generation."The Conservatives revealed that along with natural gas, their government would utilize wood waste to generate reliable power locally while "supporting the region's forestry industry."According to a 2021 report from the Skeena Wild Conservation Trust, a number of renewable energy projects are operational or have been proposed in the region. In Burns Lake, for example, a biofuel plant was proposed by the local Band to make use of wood waste. Years after receiving $2 million to initiate the project, residents are still waiting.Biomass plants elsewhere, such as Fort St. James, have been completed and entered into multi-decade energy purchasing agreements with BC Hydro.

Rustad vows to address energy crisis in northwestern BC

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