Atmosphere & Energy

By Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.

On Monday, January 21st, 2013

The International Energy Agency is warning that shooting past two degrees Celsius average global temperature will have “dire consequences.” And the World Bank is talking about 3.5 degrees of warming as being “devastating.” These are not environmental agencies. They are conservative, economically-oriented institutions. They are “establishment” with a capital E. Their language is increasingly alarmed, and yet nothing happens.... Read more »

Ontario’s last coal-burning power plants will close by the end of this year, Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to announce Thursday.

The closure is either one year earlier than scheduled, or six years late, depending on your perspective.

The current deadline for closing the coal plants is Dec. 31, 2014 — which makes the new deadline a year early. But the McGuinty government had ridden into office in 2003 promising to close the coal plants by the end of 2007.... Read more »

Nuclear planners are not considering the possibility of a Fukushima-scale accident at Ontario’s Darlington nuclear station, critics told a regulatory hearing Monday.

The comments came as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission opened hearings about the mid-life overhaul of the Darlington station, which provides 20 per cent of the province’s power.

“We would like to see them plan for an accident as severe as happened at Fukushima or Chernobyl,” said Theresa McCleneghan of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. “We’re not satisfied there’s been any serious attention paid to the capability to respond to such an accident.”

McCleneghan noted that if Ontario Power Generation gets approval for the overhaul, the plant will continue operating until 2055. OPG shouldn’t be allowed to proceed until more extensive emergency measures are in place, she said.
... Read more »

Nuclear planners are not considering the possibility of a Fukushima-scale accident at Ontario’s Darlington nuclear station, critics told a regulatory hearing Monday.

The comments came as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission opened hearings about the mid-life overhaul of the Darlington station, which provides 20 per cent of the province’s power.

“We would like to see them plan for an accident as severe as happened at Fukushima or Chernobyl,” said Theresa McCleneghan of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. “We’re not satisfied there’s been any serious attention paid to the capability to respond to such an accident.”

McCleneghan noted that if Ontario Power Generation gets approval for the overhaul, the plant will continue operating until 2055. OPG shouldn’t be allowed to proceed until more extensive emergency measures are in place, she said.
... Read more »