PHOOEY, GOOEY, and HOOEY are now in charge!

By Joe Anglin

Every independent professional analysis of Bill 50 from the Fraser Institute’s to the University of Calgary’s analysis, sponsored by the School of Public Policy; to the Discussion Paper published by EDC Associates on behalf of the Office of the Utilities Consumers Advocate, regards Bill 50 as being seriously flawed and unwarranted. There are no other professional publications or reports available for public consumption to refute the unanimous conclusions that Bill 50 is unnecessary.

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), of all organizations, has failed to publish a technical report, titled a Needs Identification Document as required by law, so that the need for new transmission lines could be evaluated. Yet our obedient elected MLAs say the lines are needed based only on what they are told by the AESO.

Do our MLAs even know that AESO’s first application to build more transmission lines from Edmonton to Calgary was voided by the EUB, and vacated by the Alberta Court of Appeals due to bias? Do they realize that AESO’s senior executives had a financial interest in getting an approval for an application for AltaLink’s benefit? These facts are a matter of record!

Bill 50 is an abomination! PC MLA statements in the press make it clear to me that they do not understand the complexities of the technology any more than they understand the legislative process governing the approval of transmission lines. It is for these very reasons Albertans need to have a qualified competent quasi-judicial board making the decision, and not an unqualified cabinet!

This government cabinet is intending to make a multi-billion dollar commitment based on AESO’s plan, (a wish list per say), and not any detailed technical or economic analysis provided to them for evaluation. The very idea is ludicrous, and it could end up costing the public tens of billions of dollars! The insanity behind the logic that a farmer, a florist, a cement technician, a lawyer, a fibreglass dinosaur builder, or a former county councillor with no other redeeming qualifications could possibly understand or adjudicate the technical aspects of electricity transmission enough to ascertain with any certainty or assurances the differentiation of the marginal loss factors gained, per megawatt increase based on the economics of the laws of diminishing return – is PHOOEY! The whole purpose of appointing a board is to delegate the decision making authority to people who are more qualified.

It time we flush this GOOEY nonsense of circumventing the experts, and respect the Board process. Kill Bill 50 – it is HOOEY!