Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Earlier today, WWF Canada and Pembina Institute released an important new report showing that an energy plan focusing on renewables and energy conservation is the cheaper, cleaner and less risky way to keep the lights on in Ontario.


Called “Renewable is Doable,�? this comprehensive report compares the green energy plan to the Ontario government’s current plan to build nuclear power stations and keep coal stations on line until at least 2014. The Renewable is Doable Plan is cheaper, cleaner and less risky.

EA joins WWF Canada and Pembina Institute in supporting Renewable is Doable. We urge Ontarians to ask provincial candidates to support this plan as well.


Below is the press release issued by the groups and a link to the report.


WWF-Canada-Renewable Is Doable: Re-Analysis of Government's Own Data Shows Ontario Can Keep the Lights on Without Coal or Nuclear

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 1, 2007) - A cheaper, cleaner, and less risky option than the current nuclear-reliant Ontario electricity plan, is doable, according to a state-of-the-art modelling analysis commissioned by WWF-Canada and the Pembina Institute and released today.


"Ontario can keep the lights on while saving consumers money and cutting greenhouse gases in half," said Cherise Burda, Ontario Policy Director with the Pembina Institute. "This study shows in vivid detail that there is a cheaper, safer, and greener way to power our future."

The analysis shows that reducing unnecessary energy waste, switching to renewable energy, and recycling waste heat from industrial and commercial operations into electricity will cost consumers less than building new nuclear plants. It also cuts future greenhouse gases from electricity generation in half.


This study comes on the heels of an Environics poll released this week, which shows that Ontarians overwhelmingly (76%) favour shifting to renewable power and conservation. "Renewable is Doable. This is the plan that Ontarians want," said Keith Stewart of WWF-Canada. "We can put an end to smoggy coal without forcing Ontarians to reluctantly accept more expensive nuclear plants and another generation of radioactive waste."


The analysis, conducted using an advanced computer simulation of Ontario's electrical system, uses data from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), cross-referenced with comparable energy efficiency and renewable energy project performance in the U.S. and Europe. It found that greener energy options can:


- Meet Ontario's growing appetite for electricity.

- Reduce costs to consumers by 11% against the Ontario Power Authority's Preliminary Plan.

- Cut in half the greenhouse gases that would be emitted by the OPA plan over the next 20 years.

- Phase out coal by 2012 at the latest, whereas a nuclear-based plan commits Ontario to burning coal until 2017.

July 16, 2007

For Immediate Release

Provincial Export of Dirty Electricity to U.S. in 2006
Responsible for 130 Ontario Deaths

Toronto: New information released today reveals that provincially-owned Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) exporting of dirty, coal-fired electricity to the United States was responsible for up to 130 unnecessary fatalities in Ontario.

“New analysis of government information by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) reveals that in 2006 selling dirty electricity to the U.S. was responsible for an estimated 130 deaths in Ontario, about 200 hospital admissions and approximately 65,000 other illnesses such as asthma attacks," said Dr. Hilary de Veber, a hospital-based Pediatrician working in Toronto's East End and Board Member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

“I can’t figure out why the Premier is allowing this to happen," commented Dr. Hartmann, Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance. “He knows that the pollution from coal-fired electricity kills Ontarians. He knows that the City of Toronto is actively trying to reduce smog and cut greenhouse gas emissions here in Toronto. Yet, he allows OPG, which is completely owned by the Government of Ontario, to produce dirty, deadly electricity not to keep the lights on, but to export it to the U.S. to make a buck. It’s unbelievable and, frankly, completely irresponsible."

Additional information released by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) notes that OPG’s profits from its coal-fired electricity exports in 2006 was about $100 million. “If this ‘profit’ were given to electricity customers, it would reduce our monthly bills by about 77 cents," said Jack Gibbons, Chair of the OCAA. “Everyone I know would rather save 130 lives than save 77 cents a month on their hydro bill."

The good news is that the solution is simple: “Premier McGuinty simply needs to keep his 2003 election promise and ban non-emergency coal-fired electricity exports to the United States. We should only export or import coal-fired electricity if it is absolutely necessary to keep the lights on in the U.S. or Ontario," said Mr. Gibbons.
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For more information, contact:

Franz Hartmann, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance; Cell: 416-606-8881
Jack Gibbons, Chair, Ontario Clean Air Alliance; 416-926-1907 ext. 240

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2006

October 10, 2006

For Immediate Release

Press Conference
City Hall Committee Room #4
10:30 a.m.
October 10, 2006