Thread by @Lidsville

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

..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..

..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.

This is why I've foregrounded #SiteC's geology from the beginning & you'll notice Peace region residents do too, because they're all too familiar with local geology. "Solid ground" isn't.

Yes, #SiteC cost is a big issue. But why? Because instability keeps skyrocketing the cost.

..Everything comes back to the geology of the Peace River Valley. It's why #SiteC was rejected many times in the past. Now as predicted we have unsafe & costly instability, movement, & cracks everywhere.

The Milburn review doesn't appear to be set up to confront this. #bcpoli

Which leads to the final point: all evidence points to coverup. The secretiveness, total lack of transparency, the extreme difficulty that the top #SiteC investigative journalists Ben Parfitt & Sarah Cox have had trying to gain info from Hydro & govt.. Coverup of what? Geotech.

..We know that BC Hydro & the @jjhorgan govt hid bad geotechnical news from us for over 18 months. You don't hide good news. & I don't expect the Milburn report to contain the independent expert engineering analysis that an open letter by experts demanded: vancouversun.com/opinion/column…

@jjhorgan ..To sum up:

Geotechnical instability is the issue that makes all other arguments against #SiteC moot. Building a dam there has horrific impacts. But you can't actually build a dam there. Trying is what will double our hydro bills. And this govt is engaging in coverup. #bcpoli

@jjhorgan PS It's widely believed by some top figures that Horgan & Ralston have the Milburn report. Horgan promised it would be delivered late Nov/early Dec. If it's late, why? But we know nothing about the review: not even its terms of reference, nor if its report will be made public.

@jjhorgan .We must demand that
1. the Milburn report be made fully public, &
2. if Milburn did not use entirely independent expert engineers, that proper geotech review must still be done.
@jjhorgan [e-mail] [phone]
@BruceRalston
[e-mail]
#bcpoli

So, poll:
Will Friday Dec 18 be Take Out the #SiteC Trash Friday, or will Horgan wait until after Christmas to announce he has the Milburn report (after which he'll announce yet again he's greenlighting the dam)? Haven't got wind of a press conference for tomorrow but who knows

Well, in this wildly unscientific poll with only 16 respondents, most people don't think we'll hear anything about the Milburn report from Horgan and Ralston on #SiteC today. It's only 9 am on a potential Take Out the Trash Friday though.

https://twitter.com/Lidsville/status/1339830270891966465

..Well, it's after 5 & we had no #SiteC news today. We hear govt says it won't have the Milburn report til early next week.
Now looks as if we won't see the report (if at all) until early 2021, & then a decision comes after that. Relieved not to have to jump into action late Fri.