Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #SITEC
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A new year is coming & I think we are long overdue for a society-wide discussion about what's "positive" & what's "negative."
We have media provocateurs in BC calling any citizens who push back at them "negative." Negative" is weaponized to stigmatize dissent & critical thought.
We have media provocateurs in BC calling any citizens who push back at them "negative." Negative" is weaponized to stigmatize dissent & critical thought.
As a friend just said "The 'negative' slur is thought-stopping, gatekeeping nonsense. Bad enough when we have media who don’t understand their obligations re govt, but worse when they engage in rhetoric that tries to stop the public from being informed & questioning state power"
One of Twitter's most positive contributions during the pandemic has been its role as a public square for critical discussion of the way govts & public health agencies & officials have been compromised by business interests and have failed to properly protect public health.
People really can be made to do anything against their own interests
Govt doesn't care about your mounting health damage from Covid infections & reinfections; it won't be paying for your declining health. You will, via Telus
When you don't wear a mask indoors, it's dark sci-fi.
Govt doesn't care about your mounting health damage from Covid infections & reinfections; it won't be paying for your declining health. You will, via Telus
When you don't wear a mask indoors, it's dark sci-fi.
As someone who works in communication and strategy, I'm actually in awe of the success of BC's communication campaigns on Covid, which involved taking a garden variety PHO and beatifying her into a saint to pull off a larger policy of few measures & public openness to infection.
Despite international press detailing the grimness of Sweden's model of sacrificing many so society could stay "open," Henry openly stated she was following the "Swedish model but with fewer deaths" (we later learned BC was simply under-counting deaths) & BCers fell into line.
This morning, the civil/mechanical engineer has some further worries about #SiteC re: its design. I'll screenshot what he wrote (you can also read it in the Alt text).
His remarks arose from seeing this recent #SiteC construction photo from @BCHydro. Site diagram for reference.
His remarks arose from seeing this recent #SiteC construction photo from @BCHydro. Site diagram for reference.
@bchydro We invite anyone from @bchydro to respond to this civil engineer's concerns. Too many engineering/ construction experts have raised red flags about #SiteC's safety. The dam has already failed during construction so their fears are built on facts more solid than the dam. #bcpoli
@bchydro A few further remarks from an engineer: "Another thing we don't know is how on earth they'll attach the earthfill dam to the concrete on the north and south ends, esp the south side against the buttress. These are both shear connections... with soft banks..."
When journalists avoid challenging govt because they fear losing access to key politicians for interviews, that's called "access journalism." Related: when govts block a reporter from interviewing a politician in retaliation for a tough story, that's called "source chill" #bcpoli
..Or at least we called it "source chill" when I studied media.
In any case "access journalism" is considered a degraded form of media. Yet it's rampant in BC. Many of the highest-profile journalists in #bcmedia engage in it & for obvious reasons don't like you to point it out..
In any case "access journalism" is considered a degraded form of media. Yet it's rampant in BC. Many of the highest-profile journalists in #bcmedia engage in it & for obvious reasons don't like you to point it out..
Many journalists are rightly very sensitive about being accused of access journalism. Rob Shaw finally blocked @frozen on Twitter, despite Tom Jackman having long been critical of Shaw's govt-friendly reporting, right after Tom replied to him with the hashtag #teamaccess.
You need to respond to this, @adriandix. Your ministry openly dodged reporter @PennyDaflos's questions. We don't pay you to run an opaque operation. You work for us. Come clean, start talking, and release the rapid tests to the public now. #bcpoli bc.ctvnews.ca/ministry-staff…
@adriandix @PennyDaflos Shall we review how much evidence there is that rapid tests work, and that BC health officials have been evasive, uncooperative, even negligent on this issue? This goes back a year. Start with this fantastic thread by @npescod #ReleasetheRATs #bcpoli
@adriandix @PennyDaflos @npescod Here's Bonnie last December & this December making untrue statements about rapid tests, followed by a counterpart in Nova Scotia who says that rapid tests work and are a crucial public health tool that should be handed over to the people. #FreeTheRATs
POPPYCOCK. This false electricity panic must stop. This is nuclear/hydro industry-created panic, for these sectors' own benefit. It's as bad as "WE NEED MOAR SUPPLY" in housing. And it's Clean Energy Canada touting it, as usual. (Thread) #bcpoli #SiteC thestar.com/politics/feder…
If you want to understand the future of electricity you should listen to grid experts, not the industries that stand to profit from massive increases in electricity generation: #NuclearEnergy & #BigHydro. Please read this thread before continuing: #SiteC
Before continuing I want to say that I am disturbed that @SFU, my alma mater (@sfuCMNS), houses Clean Energy Canada under @SFUDialogue / Shauna Sylvester. CEC has done nothing but produce false, greenwashing cover for industry, incl #SiteC. Nuclear & Big Hydro are not "clean."
BC Hydro's #SiteC quarterly report is up on the @BCUtilitiesCom site today. We haven't had a chance to go through it in detail yet, but there are some disturbing details in there... thread. #bcpoli @resistmegadams
bcuc.com/Documents/Proc…
bcuc.com/Documents/Proc…
@BCUtilitiesCom @resistmegadams As anyone who has been following this knows, there are some serious erosion problems with the #SiteC river diversion tunnel outlets. BC Hydro has been fluctuating the river a lot to accommodate the repairs - & locals have noticed that. Recall from March
@BCUtilitiesCom @resistmegadams ..Relevant section on the tunnel problem from today's #SiteC report: work "involves re-mediation [sic] of two areas where the shotcrete has detached exposing the underlying rock surface in order to mitigate deterioration of the exposed rock surface and remaining shotcrete"
Today Teal Cedar went back to court in Nanaimo to ask for their injunction against #FairyCreek forest defenders to be extended.
The logging company's lawyer Dean Dalke is really in a tizzy over the tactical abilities of the protesters... (thread)
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
The logging company's lawyer Dean Dalke is really in a tizzy over the tactical abilities of the protesters... (thread)
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
In court, the logging company's lawyer said of the land defenders, 'their resistance to being arrested is just shocking!' (This generated some amusement)
Leaving aside what "resistance" means for now, let's just review what's been going on with the RCMP at #FairyCreek...
Leaving aside what "resistance" means for now, let's just review what's been going on with the RCMP at #FairyCreek...
Recall: the RCMP not only used this injunction to remove forest defenders from the #FairyCreek area, they exceeded their powers, & barred media from witnessing their actions, & more. In August, Judge Thompson (same judge as today) found that: cbc.ca/news/canada/br… #bcpoli
Tl;dr - Compared to US news outlets, Canadian corporate media ignored the IPCC's "Code Red" warning on runaway climate change. Why? A good analysis by @seanmholman in @TheTyee #bcpoli #cdnpoli thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/… #fracking #LNG #SiteC
@seanmholman @TheTyee .."many of [Canada's] biggest newspapers seem to care less about global warming than their counterparts in the United States, on the eve of an election that will determine the country’s future action on #climatechange." @seanmholman on media and #cdnpoli #IPCC
@seanmholman @TheTyee .."At the 10 largest circulation newspapers in the United States... eight ...devoted between four and 30 per cent of their front pages to the IPCC #ClimateChange report. But a much different approach was taken north of the border."
Remember that huge landslide at the town of Old Fort in N.E. BC, a kilometre from #SiteC? Well the geohazard assessment is complete. My engineer pal says it's very well done, & more proof #SiteC is unsafe. Highlights from his remarks: (thread).. #bcpoli prrd.bc.ca/wp-content/upl…
Engineer: "there's so much info in this #OldFort slide report it would take a month just to digest it, but it tells us the basics: this is no area for a dam. #SiteC prrd.bc.ca/wp-content/upl… #bcpoli
Engineer: "What a comprehensive report - compliments to Tetra Tech. Anybody reading this would find somewhere else for a dam! They're careful to limit their work to the Old Fort slide area, so they don't make any statements about #SiteC, tho they do show it is in close proximity"
THIS IS TODAY. 5 pm. Hear from the Chief of the First Nation fighting #SiteC in BC Supreme Court, Chief Roland Willson of West Moberly FN @dunnezaman, as well as geotechnical expert on #SiteC's unsafety & more. Please join! #bcpoli #Covid19BC #cdnpoli #theDamTruth #UNDRIP
@dunnezaman ..I'll try to live tweet parts of this webinar. If you would like to donate to West Moberly's court challenge to the #SiteC dam, the link is here. #bcpoli
Seeking help:
We're failing to explain the "sunk costs" fallacy. The general public still thinks sunk costs should be taken into account when figuring out if a project should proceed. This is terrible economics. Cynical politicians abuse this blind spot. What should we do? #SiteC
We're failing to explain the "sunk costs" fallacy. The general public still thinks sunk costs should be taken into account when figuring out if a project should proceed. This is terrible economics. Cynical politicians abuse this blind spot. What should we do? #SiteC
Note: as far as #SiteC is concerned, Horgan is also mixing up sunk costs (what's already been spent, about $6bn, some of which went to useful, overdue local upgrades) & "cost to cancel" which he's calling "$10 billion" - a figure he pulled out of a hat & never showed his work on.
The idea of "sunk costs" is known as a fallacy for a reason. But people find it counterintuitive that it doesn't matter what you've already spent, it only matters what is left to be spent & whether that remainder is economic to spend. So I just seek a way to better transmit this.
IMAGINE that instead of putting all its money on the single, big, controversial, remote #sitec dam, BC decided to diversify its energy portfolio and invest in distributed solar energy.
The following thread shows what $16B can provide in residential, commercial & industrial solar.
The following thread shows what $16B can provide in residential, commercial & industrial solar.
A. TECHNOLOGY
PV Modules cost 50¢/W. $16B is equivalent to 32 GW of PV modules or 30 X the power of #siteC. With BC average Solar yield of 1,250 kWh/kW/yr, they could produce 40,000 GWh per year or 7.8 x #sitec energy
PV Modules cost 50¢/W. $16B is equivalent to 32 GW of PV modules or 30 X the power of #siteC. With BC average Solar yield of 1,250 kWh/kW/yr, they could produce 40,000 GWh per year or 7.8 x #sitec energy
B. RESIDENTIAL
Average cost of residential rooftop solar is $3.52/W installed (NREL). $16 B can install 4,542 MW rooftop solar or 4x more power than #siteC.
That’s 2 kW per home and every household saving $360 per year in electricity bill.
Average cost of residential rooftop solar is $3.52/W installed (NREL). $16 B can install 4,542 MW rooftop solar or 4x more power than #siteC.
That’s 2 kW per home and every household saving $360 per year in electricity bill.
It's been 1 week since Horgan's #SiteC announcement. Unsurprisingly it's also been 1 week of hearing from engineers & construction experts about the proposed geotechnical "fix" at Site C (what little the BC govt released). This could be a long thread. Apologies to non-nerds..
NOTE: because #SiteC is shrouded in secrecy & full info is never released, engineers & construction experts can only go by the scant info that's available. If BC Hydro/BCH engineers want to argue that other engineers don't know the details, we invite them to release those now.
Having said that, we already had a little technical information on #SiteC, which is now combined with the Geotechnical Safety Overview Report that the NDP govt released on Friday, so we have a fair amount to go on. See:
news.gov.bc.ca/files/Site_C_G…
and also
news.gov.bc.ca/files/2-26-21_…
news.gov.bc.ca/files/Site_C_G…
and also
news.gov.bc.ca/files/2-26-21_…
When a former CEO of BC Hydro is writing this... "Horgan’s runaway costs on #SiteC: Enough is enough" - op-ed by Marc Eliesen, who also headed Manitoba Hydro and Ontario Hydro. timescolonist.com/comment-horgan… #bcpoli
Given recent $16 billion #SiteC news I want to explain this project as a business decision to build a rental house. Buckle up and grab a sewing machine as I pull this 🧵
My main point: any project choice is a trade-off compared against alternatives. 1/LOTS
My main point: any project choice is a trade-off compared against alternatives. 1/LOTS
What kind of house should we build? Hydro? Wind? Geothermal? In 2013 @AJWVictoriaBC compared the 2013 site c costs to a different renewable: wind. In 2011 a $7.9 billion site C would cost between 8.7-9.5c/kWh - but wind costs were about the same. bit.ly/3r5c44j
Since 2013, global solar and wind costs dropped dramatically, but the capital costs of Site C have doubled from 7.9 to 16 billion. (If you have current site C kWh costs, @ me) bit.ly/2NQTEG2
!!! Some intel from inside BC Hydro: in a recent online staff meeting on #COVID19BC safety, the feedback mechanism in the Slido app they use was overrun by negative comments on mgmt, & BCH had to shut down the app. Many people questioned the coverup of the covid death at #SiteC..
..I'm just reporting what I'm hearing from a source, given there's no transparency from govt or BC Hydro: "Employees are at the breaking point with conflicting orders, #COVID19 & incompetence, & some are now questioning #SiteC openly. Many don't care if they are fired anymore.."
.."The top issue aired in the call was the COVID-19 death of the #SiteC worker but other issues were general anger with incompetence in BC Hydro management..."
There is a crisis in leadership among @bcndp @jjhorgan in making tough (but common sense) decision to cancel #SiteC dam which reporters like @sarahcox_bc have drawn attention to.I'll give you a small personal perspective as scientist working in support of several First Nations 1/
2/ I have testified before Joint Review Panel, published several peer-reviewed studies, advised #BCUC and had informal conversations w @bcndp elected officials on how #SiteC threatens critical ecological resources, that First Nations and others rely upon #naturalcapital 2/
What did I say about Mark Jaccard & Blake Shaffer (son of #SiteC lobbyist Marv Shaffer)? The fact their names are back in the news (& federal Enviro Min. @JonathanWNV keeps dropping Jaccard's name) means BC & Canada are pushing #SiteC... #bcpoli #cdnpoli cbc.ca/news/canada/ca…
@JonathanWNV Mark Jaccard's main argument for #SiteC back in 2017 was that #SiteC would be "dispatchable" power (available anytime) unlike wind/solar. He managed to get himself into every media outlet to repeat this. BC DOESN'T BEGIN TO NEED ANY MORE DISPATCHABLE POWER. He knows this #bcpoli
@JonathanWNV ..Worse, the feds are really showing their hand here by throwing money at UNESCO site Wood Buffalo National Park, which the UN has warned will be impacted (desiccated) by #SiteC. The Park needs water, not money, Minister Wilkinson. Why are you pushing #SiteC on it & BC? #cdnpoli
Given that the Milburn report could potentially be announced tomorrow, it feels like a good time to refocus on #SiteC. We know all the many arguments against this dam, but the thing is, all but one of them are moot.
The site's geology makes the dam unsafe, period.
#bcpoli 1/x
The site's geology makes the dam unsafe, period.
#bcpoli 1/x
..Yes, other arguments against #SiteC are good:
* violation of Indigenous & treaty rights
* more than double the cost of greener alternatives
* vast loss of agricultural land in midst of food insecurity
* extreme environmental damage
* high hydro rates will slow decarbonization..
* violation of Indigenous & treaty rights
* more than double the cost of greener alternatives
* vast loss of agricultural land in midst of food insecurity
* extreme environmental damage
* high hydro rates will slow decarbonization..
..And
* what we now know of the massive GHG climate impact of dams.
But the problem with making any & all of these arguments against #SiteC - & each of them should have disqualified this dam - is that using them almost implies the dam is even safely completable. It's not.
* what we now know of the massive GHG climate impact of dams.
But the problem with making any & all of these arguments against #SiteC - & each of them should have disqualified this dam - is that using them almost implies the dam is even safely completable. It's not.
BREAKING: A former CEO of BC Hydro CEO & a veteran dam engineer say the BC government has failed in its oversight role. "Why #SiteC Construction Should Stop Today" by Marc Eliesen & Ken Farquharson #bcpoli thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/…
Quick #SiteC update:
1. It is widely reported that @jjhorgan has the Milburn #SiteC report but hasn't told the public. Release the unredacted report now; it's ours.
2. The current #bcpoli Leg session ends Thursday. It would be classic Horgan to make a statement late Friday..
1. It is widely reported that @jjhorgan has the Milburn #SiteC report but hasn't told the public. Release the unredacted report now; it's ours.
2. The current #bcpoli Leg session ends Thursday. It would be classic Horgan to make a statement late Friday..
3. There have been a number of signs that the BC govt, various #SiteC boosters like Marc Jaccard, and Fed Minister of Environment @JonathanWNV are gearing up to produce reasons to pass #SiteC (ignoring its geotechnical instability)... #bcpoli
Sources are passing on a lot of concerning information about #COVID19BC management at #SiteC and in Fort St John. This much smoke usually means fire. I'm just going to pass it along in the hope that we can finally get some official response... 1/x
..1. Word is that workers who put themselves into "self-isolation" at #SiteC are NOT automatically tested. (This is a Q many have asked over the past 9 months - What is self isolation & are all workers tested?) I asked sources why. Same answer every time: "No test = no outbreak."
2. Frontline cleaning and other staff are moving freely between shifts at #SiteC, various Fort St John-area schools, and Peace Villa (which is the LTC attached to the FSJ Hospital, which has had #covid19BC cases). There have been cases & exposures at all 3 places.
New #SiteC photos today. Engineer & informed locals keep pointing out to me that we should not see this much white turbulence visible at the river diversion tunnel exits when we're not at high flow time of year (spring freshet). Why is turbulence bad?.. #bcpoli
As I pointed out in an earlier thread on this issue, turbulence just means the river diversion tunnels are too small for the flow. We know that the tunnels have been lined with thick concrete sections, but let's remember they sit inside a weak shale bank.
I'm chatting with an engineer and a hydro construction expert right now (welcome to pandemic Saturday night!). They are independently pointing out that this turbulence looks wrong; if tunnels were properly designed for this river we would see smooth or "laminar" flow.
