Media release
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy
www.greenenergybc.ca
October 1, 2008
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy today welcomed an academic report that strongly criticizes two works that are the intellectual basis of the campaign against independently produced clean electricity. The report, written by Dr. Mark Jaccard, finds very serious flaws in John Calvert’s Liquid Gold: Energy Privatization in British Columbia and Marvin Shaffer’s Lost in Transmission: A Comprehensive Critique of the B.C. Energy Plan. “Dr. Jaccard has made a valuable contribution to public discourse by countering ideological posturing with detail, accuracy and insight,” said BCCGE co-spokesperson Gene Vickers. “Everyone who’s concerned about electricity supply, electricity prices and the environment should welcome Dr. Jaccard’s authoritative report.”
Jaccard’s review finds Shaffer’s conclusions are not supported by the evidence. As for Liquid Gold, Jaccard writes: “Calvert’s book is best read as a political propaganda tract rather than as an independent, unbiased analysis. The author is uninterested in presenting a balanced weighing of the evidence. Indeed, facts are wrong and evidence is distorted in a manner that consistently supports a sinister conspiracy theory.”
But the influence of Calvert and Shaffer has been enormous. “Other people keep repeating their allegations,” said Vickers. “This nonsense comes up everywhere from confused letters in newspapers to angry speeches delivered to partisan mobs. Now they’ve been thoroughly discredited — demolished, in fact. But not before they’ve scared a lot of well-intentioned people.”
Jaccard’s report is entitled Assessing BC Electricity Policy: Peer Review of Two Controversial 2007 Documents. Jaccard is an energy economist and a winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Calvert is a political scientist whose book was published by a non-academic house. Shaffer is an economist whose report was commissioned by COPE 378, a BC Hydro union. All three have served the previous NDP government while Jaccard is also an adviser to B.C.’s Climate Action Secretariat. Jaccard’s report was commissioned by the Independent Power Producers Association of B.C., a group unaffiliated with BCCGE. The report was made public earlier today.
The IPPBC had no input into Jaccard’s report and agreed in advance to publish it regardless of Jaccard’s findings. “Taking a quick look at it, Jaccard’s work is impressive not only for his breadth of knowledge but also his objectivity,” said Vickers. “If you look at his background you’ll see he’s very highly accomplished and has no ideological axe to grind. Unfortunately that’s not the case with Calvert and Shaffer.”
Both Calvert and Shaffer will address a two-day training conference for anti-IPP activists to be held in Vancouver this weekend. “These trainees will be getting their indoctrination from two thoroughly discredited sources and that says a lot about their entire campaign,” said Vickers. “I somehow doubt Dr. Jaccard was invited.”
Dr. Jaccard’s report is available from our Web site:
www.greenenergybc.ca/Assets/Jaccard.pdf
Dr. Jaccard’s report is also available from the IPPBC Web site, along with highlights and an IPPBC news release:
http://www.ippbc.com/EN/teasers/jaccard_assesses_bc_electricity_policy_
in_peer_review_of_two_controversial_documents_–_october_1,_2008/
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy is not affiliated with the IPPBC.
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