Have you ever had a BC Hydro bill that was a little larger than your monthly budget could handle? I'm sure most of us have. I get them quite regularly. Even with wood heat my bill almost doubled for December January. So I paid half the bill at the end of January and the rest will be paid today. But before I even got my paltry pension checks I received what I perceived as a threatening letter from Hydro. When you open the bill they words jump right out at you.
FINAL NOTICE OF DISCONNECTION
I never received a first or subsequent notice of disconnection. Just a final one.
Then as sometimes happens I get a forwarded e-mail from BC Mary that fits a situation I want to write about.
Someone she knows sent a request to the NDP research department asking if Hydro had ever been paid the hundreds of millions of dollars owed from the State of California.And the answer came back:
No, the State of California has not paid us. We are still owed some $300M (estimate) for electricity sold to California around 2001.
FINAL NOTICE OF DISCONNECTION
I never received a first or subsequent notice of disconnection. Just a final one.
Then as sometimes happens I get a forwarded e-mail from BC Mary that fits a situation I want to write about.
Someone she knows sent a request to the NDP research department asking if Hydro had ever been paid the hundreds of millions of dollars owed from the State of California.And the answer came back:
No, the State of California has not paid us. We are still owed some $300M (estimate) for electricity sold to California around 2001.
Then I thought "Where is the mainstream Media on this?" That money could be used to fill the gaps in funding health and education and many social programs in British Columbia. It's not only a major debt it's a major social issue and the media in this province let it die 8 long years ago. Just like they are trying (I allege) to kill the publics interest in the Legislature Raids Trial. And where is our premier on this? He's busy out having his picture taken wherever he can and he is definitely not looking after the public interest in this province.
I still can't get how the major pollsters can come up with a majority thinking that Campbell is the best one to manage our finances. He can't even collect monies owed to us. And don't think for one minute that his finger isn't in the Hydro pot. Why do you think he's privatizing it?
3 comments:
Page 7 fo the B C H Y D R O F I R S T Q U A R T E R R E P O R T – F 2 0 0 8
If you can't read the spaced captal letters .... it says "BC Hydro First Quarter Report - F2008"
"Since 2000, Powerex has been named, in some cases along with other energy providers, as a defendant in a number of lawsuits and U.S. federal regulatory proceedings which seek damages and/or contract rescission based on allegations that, during part of 2000 and 2001, the California wholesale electricity markets were unlawfully manipulated and that
the energy prices were not just and reasonable. These proceedings are at various stages."
If we think that the BC Rail trial has taken a long time to get off the ground... this lawsuit has been going on since 2000 (nine years) and the interest calculations are skyrocketing, or so they should be.
Ooops, I forgot, its not just interest rates that are making the bill climb, there's also the small matter of legal costs being incurred (2007 BC Hydro Annual Report) as well, so far, $17 million for litigation matters.
"On March 26, 2004, FERC approved a settlement agreement between FERC staff and Powerex that acknowledged that there was no evidence that Powerex engaged in any gaming practices or concerted partnership practices with any other market participants, and further noted that Powerex was a valuable and reliable supplier of energy and ancillary services to the California market throughout the energy crisis. This settlement is still subject to rehearing at FERC, has not been the subject of a final FERC order and FERC’s final order when issued may subsequently be appealed to the
courts."
North Van's Grumps
Thankyou for the valuable information you have given here.
For those not in the know, Powerex is a wholly owned subsidiary of BC hydro. and FERC is the US Federal Energy Regulation Commission.
This litigation certainly does make the BC Rail trial look faster at this point. But the way the trial is moving forward I suggest it will be longer than collecting our money from California.
Let's just hope that a BC Government doesn't pull a Harper and give away a Billion like they did in the Cattle Case.
Tying these things up in Regulatory Hearings and the Courts seems to be the norm in the US. I guess since Harper bent over they figure they can get more money out of us. The only ones winning right now are the lawyers.
I just found this blog has California ever paid it's bill.
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