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More than meets the eye
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Burton goes polar
Vol. 91 Issue 2 • Wednesday, January 8, 2014 • www.arrowlakesnews.com • 250-265-3823 • $1.25 •
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New Telus tower in Burton part of provincial network Claire paradis
In the realm of the sensational
Arrow Lakes News
Red lights blinking on the side of the mountain herald a recent addition to the landscape in Burton: cell phone and internet service. Over the holidays, a Telus telecommunications tower was put up as one part of a ten-year agreement with the Province. Telus is installing towers across B.C., with 862 kilometres of wireless coverage along remote highways completed to date, Telus spokesperson Liz Sauvé told the Arrow Lakes News. The Connecting British Columbia Agreement, signed in 2011, means an additional 854 km is scheduled to be installed by 2017. The towers provide cell phone and internet coverage along primary and secondary highways, enhancing safety of travel across the province, said Sauvé. The 24 km along Highway 6 now provides wireless coverage to Makinson, Carrolls Landing and Burton. Sauvé said a tower in the Fauquier area near the ferry terminal is in the planning stages, and is scheduled for completion in 2015. A tower proposal on private land in Winlaw was the source of controversy in early 2013. Concerns were raised that the tower there was too close to residents’ homes and schools.
Sorry, New Zealand. Even with the incredible landscapes real and imagined showcased in The Hobbit, there’s not much that can beat the beauty right here on our doorstep. Claire Paradis/Arrow Lakes News
‘U.S. Entity’ sets position in Columbia River Treaty review
The organization representing regional interests in the U.S. Columbia Basin has sent their ‘regional recommendations’ on the Columbia River Treaty review to the U.S. State Department. Amongst a spectrum of positions, the U.S. Entity seeks to elevate ‘ecosystem-based function’ as primary purpose alongside flood control and power generation Aaron Orlando Arrow Lakes News
The ‘U.S. Entity’ – an organization representing the interests of regional stakeholders and tribal sovereigns in the U.S. Columbia Basin – released its ‘regional recommendations’ to the U.S. State Department on Dec. 13. The recommendations spell out U.S. stakeholder positions on the upcoming Columbia River Treaty review process. The recommendation states ways the stakeholders would potentially like to see the treaty change after 2024, a key date in the 1964 Columbia River Treaty (see sidebar on page 10 for explanation.) The U.S. Entity recommenda-
tion was the result of a consultation and lobby process, and the recommended positions weren’t a foregone conclusion. The U.S. Entity calls for a “modernized framework” for the CRT. It elevates ‘ecosystem-based function’ as a key new recommendation, to be considered alongside the original main purposes of the treaty, which were flood control and water management for the purpose of hydroelectric generation. “It is important to achieve a modernized framework for the treaty that balances power production, flood risk management, and ecosystem-based function as the primary purposes, while also recognizing and implementing all authorized purposes,” the U.S. recommendation states.
“ I want to know more about mutual funds.”
The U.S. recommendation notes many ecosystem programs have been added in the basin on an ad hoc basis since it was ratified in 1964, but more needs to be done, and some of these initiatives need to be incorporated into the framework. The U.S. recommendation seeks to revise the formula on which U.S. payments to Canada are based, calling the current system an “imbalance.” “When the treaty was ratified, the United States and Canada structured Canada’s share of these benefits as one-half of the downstream power benefits with the Canadian Treaty projects as compared to without those projects,” it states. “An equitable sharing of these benefits should instead be based on the more realistic measure of the power
value of coordinated operations as compared to non-coordinated operations.” In other words, the U.S. Entity says the U.S. is paying “significantly” too much, and the payments “far exceeds the value of coordinated power operations under the treaty.” The U.S. Entity calls for a spectrum of considerations regarding the future of flood control mechanisms. In 2024, the existing flood control regulations under the treaty shift to a “called-upon” system. The entity calls for resiliency in flood control: “As the nation and region develop a better understanding of the potential implications of climate change, future flood risk management procedures need to be resilient to
provide for public safety.” The U.S. recommendations note the existing water flow agreement is a complex system of trade-offs, but say it needs “flexibility” to help meet regional needs for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, instream flows, navigation and recreation. Flexibility is needed to adapt to future changes, the U.S. Entity states. “As the nation and region develop a better understanding of the potential implications of climate change, future flood risk management procedures need to be resilient to provide for public safety.” The U.S. Entity summarizes their position: “This recommen-
See CRT page 2
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