LETTER: Canuck coal power a step backward
By Contributor
Dear editor,
A concern for all Canadians which you may want to pass on to your readers. Please help stop this travesty.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent just announced new rules for coal power that he claims will reduce pollution. But there’s a huge problem: he left a loophole big enough to drive a 500MW coal plant through.
If Maxim Power can fire up their dirty, dangerous new coal plant fast enough, the plant will have free rein to pump out more pollution per year than 600,000 extra cars on our roads, and it will do it for at least half a century.
Most provinces are phasing out coal power, and in 2011 the last thing Canadians need is a massive new dirty, old-generation coal power plant polluting our air and our climate.
In the last two weeks, thousands of Canadians have emailed and called Minister Kent to tell him that Maxim Coal getting a free pass to pollute is unacceptable.
Last year, the government promised Canadians “We will guard against any rush to build non-compliant coal plants on the interim”, before the rules change. Environment Minister Kent can choose between his Government’s credibility or this new coal plant.
He can’t have both.
Mike Basham
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