Allegation of Hypocrisy and Irresponsibility

Alberta's Electric System Operator (AESO) is put on the mat by Alberta residents:

Lavesta Area Group and UPTAG Challenge AESO's Activities

(Rimbey, AB) At a special meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lavesta Area Group, a unanimous resolution was passed instructing chairman and spokesman, Joe Anglin, on behalf of the Lavesta Area Group and UPTAG (United Power Area Transmission Group), to issue a formal complaint to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), with respect to recent misleading statements and irresponsible conduct by Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) concerning the need for upgrades to the province's electrical transmission grid.

The AESO does not have the authority to approve or determine a "Need" to upgrade the transmission system on its own volition. According to Section 34(1) of the Electric Utilities Act, AESO must file a Needs Identification Document (NID) with the AUC for approval to upgrade the transmission system. The AESO may only apply to the AUC for an approval to upgrade the transmission system. Since both, the EUB and the Alberta Court of Appeal have disallowed and voided the original 2004 NID document; AESO has not submitted a new or amended NID to the AUC for an approval to upgrade the transmission system.

In view of the above circumstances, the Lavesta Area Group and Uptag consider AESO's recent provincial-wide publicity campaign in support of an urgent need to build more transmission lines, hypocritical and irresponsible. The AESO has not filed a Needs Identification Document (NID) with AUC, and is, in our opinion, negligent in carrying out its primary responsibility, which is to file a NID for approval.
Accordingly, the groups are seeking an appropriate remedy as per the attached formal complaint (posted on http://albertawestsecondpage.blogspot.com/)

For more information contact
Edwin Erickson, Director
Lavesta Area Group
780-682-2368 Greg
or
Greg Troitsky, Chairman
UPTAG
403-843-6810