I came across a copy of the announcement (but not the statement itself -
5,000 pages!), and thought y'all might like to have a look...
-Drew
CONTACT: Dusya Broytman
Katherine Cavanaugh
(New York) 800-223-2121
Mary Wallan
(Boston) 800-367-4442
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HYDRO-QUEBEC SUBMITS ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY FOR
GREAT WHALE PROJECT
Analysis of demand, environmental and social impacts is the most comprehensive
ever done for Canadian power project
NEW YORK, August 31 -- Hydro-Quebec today released a 5,000-page Environmental
Impact Statement for the Grande-Baleine (Great Whale) hydroelectric project, a
complex of three underground stations and related infrastructure it proposes to
build in northern Quebec, about 700 miles north of Montreal, inshore from Hudson
Bay.
As described in the impact study, the project would have a total installed
capacity of 3,210 MW and generate 16.2 TWh annually to meet Quebec's energy
needs
beyond the year 2000. Hydro-Quebec's impact study indicates that the Grande-
Baleine complex would have impacts that are generally moderate and localized,
and
that can be mitigated. The project would not displace any Native communities.
Hydro-Quebec has conducted a total of 11 years of intense studies for the draft
design of the Grande-Baleine project. These studies are in addition to those it
has carried out since 1973 on the northern environment. The impact study is an
important step in the multiple review process that will lead to a decision on
whether the project will be built or not.
Five Independent Review Panels
The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, signed in 1975, defines the
Canadian
and Quebec environmental review and approval procedures for projects initiated
by
any developer in the territory covered by the Agreement -- which represents
approximately two-thirds of the territory of the province of Quebec.
Altogether, the Grande-Baleine project will be examined by five independent
review
panels. Specific procedures apply north and south of the 55th parallel, to
reflect the fact that the Crees are primarily living in the region south of the
55th parallel, and the Inuit are principally to the north. Because the Grande-
Baleine complex would straddle the two regions, it is subject to four environ-
mental project assessment and review procedures. In addition, the Federal
Environment Assessment and Review Process (EARP) Guidelines apply to the
project.
Representatives of both the Cree and Inuit communities are full participants in
the review process.
Page 2
In order to harmonize the review process and make it more efficient, a
Memorandum
of Understanding was signed in January 1992 by the Canadian and Quebec
governments,
and the Crees and the Inuit.
After a series of public hearings, the committees and commissions heading the
five
review processes issued the Guidelines applicable to the Environmental Impact
Statement. The topics covered in the Guidelines include project rationale and
proposed design, financial analysis, and environmental impacts. The Guidelines
also paid particular attention to the social and cultural impacts of the
project,
such as land use, regional economic development, as well as the medium and long-
term effect on job creation in the Native communities, and the potential impacts
on Native culture and traditional lifestyles, including dietary practices.
Hydro-Quebec's environmental impact study will be examined by the commissions
and
committees, and by the Administrators of the various environmental regimes
applicable to the project, and a new series of public hearings will be held.
After these hearings, the commissions and committees will recommend or decide if
the project can be built and under which conditions.
A Project to Meet Quebec's Energy Needs
The Grande-Baleine complex was already foreseen, and the project itself
described
in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement signed in 1975 by the Canadian
and
Quebec governments, Hydro-Quebec, and the Cree, Inuit and Naskapi communities of
northern Quebec.
For the period 1992 to 2010, Hydro-Quebec expects Quebec's electricity demand to
grow at a rate of 2.2 percent annually. To meet this increase in demand, the
utility will continue to favor measures designed to improve the efficiency of
its
system and promote energy conservation. Taking into consideration these
measures
and the development of industrial markets, the forecast annual growth in demand
will be reduced to 1.8 percent -- a growth comparable with that of other North
American utilities.
Hydro-Quebec foresees, that in addition to the projects already under
construction,
new generation capacity will be required in the first decade of the next century
to meet the Quebec demand. It is to be noted that export contracts which
represent approximately six percent of Hydro-Quebec's total sales, are not
expected
to vary substantially within the horizon of the construction of the project.
The Grande-Baleine complex reflects Hydro-Quebec's continuing orientation toward
hydroelectricity, based on its advantages over competing generation methods: it
uses an abundant and renewable resource, produced at relatively low cost.
A Detailed Study of the Territory
Approximately $256 million (Canadian) was spent for technical and economic
studies
relating to the Grande-Baleine complex (not including interest charges). More
than 85 percent of the environmental studies were conducted by a large spectrum
of non-Hydro-Quebec technicians and scientists, recruited from engineering
firms,
research institutes and Canadian universities, using state-of-the-art technology
and equipment.
Page 3
Through 20 years of extensive on-site research in northern Quebec, the utility
has
developed unique knowledge of the territory and the effects of hydroelectric
facilities on its ecosystems. For example, the original plans for the
development
of the Grande-Baleine complex involved diverting part of the Nastapoka River.
While this option offered clear economic advantages, Hydro- Quebec set it aside
to
preserve the environmental particularities of the region, including a small
population of fresh water seals. Hydro-Quebec proposes a downstream diversion
of
the Petite Riviere de la Baleine (Little Whale River).
Projected Economic Impact on Native Communities
If built as proposed, the Grande-Baleine complex would generate significant,
durable economic activity in the Native communities and provide much needed job
opportunities. While Kuujjuarapik (450 Inuit) and Whapmagoostui (500 Crees) are
the two Native communities principally impacted by the development, Hydro-Quebec
estimates that the Grande-Baleine complex would inject $ 10.7 million (in 1992
dollars) (Canadian) annually in the economies of the Inuit villages of
Kuujjuarapik,
Umiujak and Inukjuak and the Cree communities of Whapmagoostui and Chisasibi.
This would translate into jobs, directly and indirectly, for about 26 percent of
the potential Native work force in the area.
In keeping with provisions of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement,
Hydro-
Quebec will continue to give some preference to Native contractors for
construction
and maintenance work in the development area. Between 1987 and 1992, this
policy
led to the awarding of contracts totalling almost $190 million (Canadian) to
Native businesses.
The project proposes the construction of an access road to Whapmagoostui-
Kuujjuarapik, and the construction of a new airport nearby. This construction
is
subject to the approval of the Native communities involved. Past experience
indicates that, the proposed road would have positive impacts by reducing the
cost of food supplies and providing additional economic development
opportunities
such as adventure tourism, hunting and fishing. Since the impact study demon-
strates that the Grande-Baleine complex would have limited impact on wildlife,
the
road would provide Native hunters with easier access to larger harvesting
territories, while ensuring a more balanced exploitation of resources.
Hydro-Quebec offers to negotiate agreements for the Grande-Baleine complex with
the Crees and Inuit, as was done with the La Grande complex, to mitigate and
compensate for residual impacts not internalized by the project. Eleven comple-
mentary agreements to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and nine
particular project agreements were negotiated and signed during the construction
of the La Grande complex.
Hydro-Quebec, the second largest power company in Canada with almost 30,000 MW
of
installed capacity, produces 95 percent of its electricity through hydropower
generation. It is one of the leading North American utilities in the area of
energy conservation and environmental mitigation, and its activities extend to
the
development of new electrotechnologies and other energy-related research.
Hydro-
Quebec also buys and sells electricity through interconnections with neighboring
systems in Canada and the United States, and is a member of the Northeast Power
Coordinating Council.
Page 4
Note to the editor: The Grande-Baleine impact study will be available for
public
consultation at the following locations, by mid-September:
Massachusetts
Quebec Government House
Exchange Place Building
53 State Street
19th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Canadian Consulate General
3 Copley Place
Suite 400
Boston, MA 02116
Boston Public Library
Copley Square
Boston, MA 02116
New York
Quebec Government House
17 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10020-2201
Canadian Consulate
1251 Avenue of the Americas
16th Floor
New York, NY 10020-1175
New York State Library
Cultural Education Center
6th Floor
Albany, NY 12230
Maine
Portland Public Library
Five Monument Square
Portland, ME 04101
New Hampshire
Manchester City Library
405 Pine Street
Manchester, NH 03104-6199
Connecticut
Bridgeport Public Library
925 Broad Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Vermont
Fletcher Free Library
235 College Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Rhode Island
Providence Public Library
225 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02903
Washington, D.C.
Canadian Embassy
501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
--
Andrew Bennett MIT AUV Lab abennett@mit.edu
MIT Room E38-312 abennett%athena@mitvma.bitnet
77 Massachusetts Ave. Phone: (617) 253-0653
Cambridge, MA 02139 <Standard disclaimers apply>
Johan Gaspar Spurzheim 1776-1832
---> The Father of Phrenology <---