So where does your electricity come from, eh?
by Fresh Energyby Timothy Rose, media relations director, Fresh Energy
Winnipeg is one of my favorite weekend getaways. Manitoba prairie, Mounties and Moosehead all mean relaxation. I always stay at the Marlborough because it houses the Winnipeg Press Club – the oldest in Canada (1887) where I am a member in good standing. Driving into town, you can’t miss Manitoba Hydro, the largest exporter in the province of electricity to the Upper Midwest, Minnesota in particular.
One of the lessons to be gleaned from the 2007 legislative session in Minnesota is not only that we as a state took a hard look at how we get our electricity – and what we are going to do about that in the future – but also where and from whom we get it. Many environmentalists have long been concerned about environmental justice issues and the undue burdens placed on the poor, disenfranchised and people of color in our society with regard to the environment. Equal numbers see the link between where Minnesota gets its energy and the unfair impacts it has on First Nation people, as they are so called by our neighbors to the North.
Filmmaker Dawn Mickelson follows the source of this ‘green energy’ back to the displacement of indigenous Cree and Metis in Northern Manitoba in her documentary film, Green Green Water (www.greengreenwater.com) Before the session ended, the Minnesota legislature created the strongest monitoring and reporting requirement to date for Manitoba Hydro’s imported electricity (SF 2096.)The provision included in the Environment & Energy Omnibus Bill states:
The Legislative Electric Energy Task Force by January 1, 2008, and each year thereafter, the task force will request from the Manitoba Hydro Electric Board to provide the following information for each community that is a signatory of the Northern Flood Agreement, including South Indian Lake.
“Minnesotans have a right and a responsibility to know what they are buying,” said Pimicikamak Chief John Miswagon. “This law demonstrates that responsibility. I am pleased that Minnesota legislators care about what is happening on the Northern end of the transmission line.”
In other words, Minnesota should not only know where they get their electricity from but also from whom and its impacts. It seems only fair.
It was big news in the province and across Canada – and will continue to be. The arguments pro and con are reminiscent of what happened when Americans started to look at not only where but also how and from whom they get their coffee.
(www.winnipegfreepress/local/story/3963369p-4575689c.html)
It was nice to be interacting with my press club colleagues again – this time professionally instead of over a pint and a game of darts.
