Re: Pricing a concern for lobby group in new B.C. Water Sustainability Act (March 27)
Kudos to spokesperson Sheila Muxlow of the Water Wealth Project for staying on top of, and keeping us informed on the provincial government’s new Water Sustainability Act.
The licensing of groundwater is surely overdue and the extra protection of the ecosystem is a no brainer. Unfortunately, the real fix for protecting our fresh water is in the pricing. If you put a high enough price on any commodity the strong tendency is to conserve and protect. Gold and oil are the perfect examples. I believe that the provincial government is dragging it’s heels on this issue because of the strong political lobby from large industrial users. The fresh water that will be needed in the development of the Liberal government’s natural gas plan is a phenomenal amount, and I don’t believe a price increase was in the books.
So until Premier Clark can convince the gas well developers to use salt water, or water from a distant location for fracking, don’t expect any considerable or practical price increase for the industrial use of fresh water. Though it wouldn’t surprise me, if the provincial government taxed our personal use of water on the pretext of conservation.
Art Green,
Hope, B.C.