What N.L. gives up with wind-to-hydrogen projects far outweighs what it gains

“The EU, including Germany as the current purchaser of the planned hydrogen/ ammonia output, all have their own land. Why don’t they simply use that?”

You never know you’re being taken while you’re being taken!

The latest venture being pushed down our throats, by our so-called representatives in both the provincial and federal governments, is windto-hydrogen energy development on Crown land, with a short list of four companies now going through, or having gone through, the Crown land application and environmental assessment processes.

The speed at which the World Energy GH2 project is being rushed through the approval formalities should give every Newfoundlander and Labradorian pause for thought, and deeply serious cause for concern. It has already received much of the approvals being sought. But, then again, dear premier did spend some time at John Risley’s cabin.

This is no Mickey Mouse project. Its roughly equivalent to someone coming in through your front door or, more fittingly, your back door and telling you that they are taking your house and everything in it, and you will have to find another place to live, in some distant part of the world.

Thinking back on the Muskrat Falls silly season, I recall that all levels of government in power at the time were coming down hard on anyone who happened to be so uninformed and out of touch as to think that the hydro project might be anything other than the Great Provider, the One True Answer, for everything we ever needed or wanted.

And it worked! No, not the Great Provider part, but the part where the naysayers (i.e. individuals seeking reasonable answers) were gradually but surely drowned out and ignored by a vast majority of the public.

You wouldn’t think government would have the nerve to try that approach again. But governments as a whole, and ours (both federal and provincial) in particular, have never been inclined to learn from past mistakes, or even to care about them, especially where an opportunity presents itself for one or more of our leaders or their ministers to show up on the world stage in whatever menial role that might entail.

In announcing early in March that Export Development Canada, on behalf of the Government of Canada, had signed agreements for a $128 million credit facility to support the GH2 project through to the financial close of its long-term financing, Federal Minister of Labour and Minister for Seniors Seamus O’regan recently stated that the wind-to-hydrogen energy development projects in the works locally within this province are a big deal. (They might be, if done in a transparent and co-operative manner!)

He went on to say that the countries within the European Union (EU) that are seriously interested in our province’s potential in that regard have already cut through a lot of red tape to make this happen. (So they should; they’re the ones who need the product!)

It was at this point that things went off the rails.

Saying that these countries are our partners, Minister O’regan stated that we, as partners, should be prepared to take a similar approach to eliminating certain red tape in furthering the projects.

So what does that mean for us? Well, quite simply, it means that this project is a done deal! It means that, in case you missed it, the time for the inconsequential masses to have their say, in any meaningful and transparent manner, is past!

When did we go into partnership with the EU? Was there a written partnership agreement? Could we see it? Were there clauses within that agreement that detailed how our population’s giveaway of its critical resources, of land, of wind and tourism potential, and anything associated therewith, was to be accomplished, or are we simply to follow the established guidelines from previous agreements which covered the rape of our fishery?

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, stated in her promotion of the project, “We are committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 by prioritizing clean technology and energy leadership in Canada” and that “this involves emphasizing innovation, creating green jobs, and supporting projects like the World Energy GH2 initiative.”

You might ask, aren’t these the same federal departments or agencies who opened wide on the EU’S access to our fish, allowing the devastation of our own fisheries while at the same time allowing our seal markets, both at home and abroad, to dwindle to nothing! Let that simmer on your brain for a while!

In the meantime, take a look at a provincial map depicting these projects. The dark markings outlining each project resemble scars, which is in fact what they will be, deep scars upon our landscape. The enormous land mass designated for these projects as a whole blatantly demonstrates the low esteem in which our population is held, by the proponents and by our government representatives.

And if that doesn’t bother you, ask yourself whether it makes economic sense that a huge conglomerate is, within a few years, going to remediate and walk away from a wind energy project that provides hundreds of billions of dollars in annual revenues, and for which the two major cost injectables of land and wind are, for all intents and purposes, free of charge.

Call it a lease, call it whatever you want. This is an outright land giveaway, and we will never recover true access thereto for many generations to come, if ever!

But, they say, don’t forget, we are going to give you $22 million annually for leasing Crown land at market value! That’s laughable! We’d lose that much in tourism dollars in the space of a couple of months. How goddamned stupid are we supposed to be?

According to the provincial government, the fiscal framework includes a Crown land reserve fee of 3.5 per cent annually of the market value of the reserved Crown lands.

This is the biggest insult of all, if not an outright attempt to fraudulently convey land through duplicitous means. I would suggest that 100 to 200 times this annual lease price might be approaching reality. Who provided this $22 million figure, and what variables went into the calculation? Government advisors or consultants? One of the proponents? Just wondering who’s trying to cheat us!

The EU, including Germany as the current purchaser of the planned hydrogen/ ammonia output, all have their own land. Why don’t they simply use that? Well, our own Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, the Honourable Andrew Parsons, KC tells us why: “Newfoundland and Labrador has some of the best onshore wind resources in North America, which can be used to power wind turbines and generate electricity…”.

This “best onshore wind resources in North America” makes our targeted land infinitely more valuable than some quiet, out-of-the-way, secluded spot where you, or even John Risley, might want to build a cabin. So why are efforts being made to, in essence, steal this unique and massive assemblage of our land and its wind resources? It’s because they think they can!

The federal government is getting one major feather in its cap in terms of a project that may be argued to assist in the transition towards lower carbon energy sources. Since Canada recently ranked as the 11th largest greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emitting country in the world, such a project would go a long way towards convincing the rest of the world that it is making a serious effort to reduce GHG emissions.

A second feather in its cap comes through the benefits derived by indigenous peoples through their direct involvement in these projects.

If any of the above parties were truly interested in ensuring that we not only have our say, but in ensuring our just participation as well, there would be an independent commission of inquiry called immediately, instead of waiting until after the damage has been done and the province has been once again royally rooked. And this commission would, rightfully, be funded in full by the projects’ proponents!

If events to date are an example of how the federal and provincial government representatives, including the premier of this province, tend to the interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, then I would call upon every one of them to resign immediately. No doubt many have already had mention of highly attractive positions being available within proponent corporations once they leave public office.

Lest anyone suggest otherwise, I am as much in favour of protecting our environment, and our world as a whole, for the coming generations as the next person might be. I am all for reaching netzero emissions by 2050 by prioritizing clean technology and energy leadership in Canada.

I would simply like to see it done the right way, taking the needs of others into account, and without unfairly disadvantaging our population. Dave Randell Mount Pearl