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No to gas-fired power plants

Our oh-so-popular and oh-so-duplicitous premier is at it again. Basking in an undeserved reputation of being progressive and caring about climate, he's about to introduce fossil fuel power to our renewably resourced province. Likely to build world-destroying (in so many ways) data centres. 

Meanwhile, for a lower investment of millions, the amount of power set to be generated could be saved simply by properly insulating thousands of houses and reducing energy consumption. 

To say nothing of the fact that, relative to the “supply” available, we haven't even begun to use solar and wind power. 

Thank you to the Climate Action Team of Manitoba who is resisting, educating, and offering alternatives. 

And adapt and write your own letter as I did:

I am writing today to voice my strong concern regarding your government’s decision to build a new $3 billion fossil gas-fired power plant. This is a complete betrayal of the promises you were elected on.

Building new fossil fuel infrastructure that will fuel the climate crisis and keep us reliant on imported fossil gas from Alberta for decades to come is unacceptable. I strongly urge you to reconsider and instead invest in reliable renewable sources of electricity such as wind, solar, and battery energy storage. 

For decades, Manitobans have been proud to use renewable energy. (Hydro power has been destructive in often un-acknowledged ways for Indigenous communities, and that still deserves a reckoning, but pivoting to fossil fuel power is compounding, not addressing harms.) Why would you choose this crucial moment in history -- a moment when developed countries are leading the way with rapid conversion to solar and wind power -- to shift to fossil fuel power, leaving our vast solar resources completely unused?

My main concerns with a new gas-fired power plant are: 

  • It expands fossil fuel use during an era of climate emergency. After a summer of devastating wildfires, it is clearer now than ever that we are in a climate crisis, and we need to get off fossil fuels as quickly as possible. Manitobans like myself want a government that takes climate action seriously, and this project contradicts the progress your government has made on climate solutions and moves us in the wrong direction.

  • It is a waste of public money and worsens afforability. We entrust the government to use public funds wisely, and spending $3 billion on a new fossil gas plant, that is only supposed to turn on for a few days per year, does exactly the opposite. It also makes us more vulnerable to volatile fossil gas prices, and increases expensive climate change impacts.

Manitoba should be investing to capitalize on its solar and wind resources, paired with battery storage and energy efficiency programs. These solutions are proven, reliable, and have seen dramatic cost reductions in recent years. They are being scaled up in countries around the world, and it's time for Manitoba to get on board. 

I urge you to invest in renewables, energy storage, and electricity demand reductions, instead of new fossil fuel power. Our air, water, communities, and future generations are worth protecting.

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