Clean energy discussed

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle met with Premier Gary Doer and flew up north to Gillam to tour Manitoba Hydro's Limestone dam and the site of the proposed Conawapa generating station.

Doyle's visit was meant to shore up relations with Manitoba and quell criticism in his home state following a $2 billion power sale announced last month. In a decade, when Conawapa is built, Hydro will sell 500 megawatts of electricity to one of Wisconsin's private power companies, the start of what Manitoba hopes will be many more sales to Midwestern states.

But environmentalists in Wisconsin say Manitoba's power isn't clean enough to meet that state's renewable energy targets because of Manitoba Hydro's troubled past with northern First Nations.

"To me it's pretty basic. Renewable is renewable," said Doyle during a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce breakfast speech. "We're not in the business of coming down here and criticizing how you've handled tribal relations because, Lord knows, you could probably come and criticize us."

The duo also talked about a cap and trade registry that would see a regional limit set on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed. Companies would have permits to spew a certain tonnage of greenhouse gases and if they emit more than their limit, they'd be forced to buy or trade credits from greener companies with low emissions.

In recent months, Manitoba has been part of a mess of press conferences, agreements and memorandums of understanding as American states and some Canadian provinces commit to working on regional cap and trade programs. Manitoba is part of a deal among Midwestern governors like Doyle and Manitoba is also part of the Western Climate Initiative that includes states like California and Arizona.

But the real work of figuring out exactly how a cap and trade program might work has so far been remarkably nebulous.

That could change today as Manitoba's climate change officials gather in Utah to firm up the details of the Western Climate Initiative's cap and trade proposal.

There's talk that the Midwestern governors could ultimately join that initiative, which could in turn become the one a new American president embraces after this fall's election. "I think it's five to seven years away, assuming we get started now," said Doyle.

Manitoba's delegation to the Western Climate Initiative meeting couldn't be reached for comment, but Manitoba Wildlands director Gaile Whelan Enns said there's expected to be substantial debate over whether transportation emissions ought to be included in the cap. And she said there is some talk among delegates that Ontario will announce today that it is joining the coalition of states and provinces committed to the system.

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 21, 2008 $sourceSection$sourcePage